Energy Efficiency Measures in Agriculture

3 efficiency measures in agriculture with respect to the specific environments in Portugal.

It illustrates show cases with an in-depth analysis of the interactions of energy efficiency measures with farm economics and the environmental impact of the measures. It shows trade-offs and situations associated with energy efficiency measures for selected show cases with their estimated impact on energy use, economic costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Besides this introduction the paper has four additional sections. In the second AGREE types of energy efficiency measures for overall project and for Portuguese agricultural systems are presented. The third section sets out the main methodological framework used for all European countries and regions involved for agricultural systems under study. During the fourth section results for primary energy consumed (PEC), greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and costs are presented and trade-offs of energy used and their farm economic and environmental impacts for each agricultural system. The fifth and last section concludes contrasting the main differences of agricultural systems with respect to the relative importance of different inputs on energy, emissions, costs and profits.

2. Energy Efficiency Measures in Agriculture

In AGREE project we are looking at energy efficiency. Improved energy efficiency is achieved if energy input per unit yield from the agricultural system is reduced. Therefore, energy efficiency can either be realized with increased or decreased energy inputs depending on the input-output relationship. Energy efficiency can be realized by the use of improved technologies and adjustments in the level of energy input into agricultural systems (AndreasMeyer-Auritch et al.).

Energy efficiency measures in agriculture were grouped in seven clusters, according to the technology addressed with the energy efficiency measure, namely:

1.Reduced tillage and controlled traffic farming; 2.Waste/side stream valorization;

3.Storage, drying, ventilation and cooling processes; 4.Irrigation; 5.Fertilizer management (reduced inputs and precision farming); 6.Housing (light, construction and insolation); and 7.Animal husbandry.

Energy efficiency measures considered for Portuguese case studies of different agricultural systems, including arable crop (wheat), animal husbandry (dairy, poultry

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4 and pigs), greenhouse crops (tomato) and permanent crops (olive groves and vineyards), are included in those general clusters and are indicated in table 1.

Technical, characterization, cost analysis and environmental data sources used in speadsheet farm models for current agricultural systems and alternatives considered for each system are described in detail and can be found in AGREE 3.1 report (Andreas Meyer-Auritch et al.).

Table 1: Production systems for in-depth analyses of case studies in Alentejo/Portugal and energy efficiency measures considered

ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES

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5 3. Methodological Framework for the analysis of measures for improved energy use efficiency in agriculture and their impact on economics and the environment

The analysis of the environmental and economic trade-offs includes the analysis of energy efficiency measures on the use of direct and indirect energy, greenhouse gas emissions and farm economics. The energy use, environmental (GHG emissions) and economic analysis (costs and profits) are based on a cradle to farm gate analysis, taking all factors into account needed to produce the agricultural products and consequent total energy, emissions and costs and profits (see figure 1).

Figure 1: System boundary of economic and environmental assessments

Source; AGREE, Report WP3, p. 17.

In order to model potential trade-offs between energy savings, GHG-emissions and farm economics it was necessary to model the relevant energy efficiency measures in simple spreadsheet based accounting farm models. Four model frameworks were constructed to estimate the effects of energy saving measures on farm level in cropping systems, animal production systems, greenhouses and permanent crop systems. For permanent crops calculations include installation and operation estimates for the

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6 different inputs. Costs, PEC and CO2 values are the sum of the values of vineyard operation per ha and vineyard installation also per ha and per year.

Cases for different agricultural systems were constructed based on typical farm situations in the countries expressing a general situation. Hence, their analysis is done within a farm framework and included the related costs and savings on energy, economic costs and GHG emissions to the total costs at farm level.

The calculations of the energy savings and GHG emissions with the energy efficiency measures were based on the report “State of the Art on Energy Efficiency in Agriculture” (AGREE website, Gołaszewski et al. 2012) and extended with regard to GHG emissions. Data on assumptions were, if not stated otherwise, drawn from published data from the Biograce database (www.biograce.net). For the energy use and greenhouse gas estimates, whenever possible, common methodologies were used.

Estimates for cost savings associated with the energy efficiency measure are based on the use of resources calculated with the farm models.

The economic cost calculations were based on the economic settings of the considered Portuguese and Alentejo systems. These include costs with all variable and fixed factors, including purchased and owned factors, namely land, labour and machinery. Fixed costs were allocated according to the useful life of the used implements. Prices for inputs and machinery were taken from the country specific data.

4. Relative contribution of different factors on farm energy, CHG emissions and