Energy reduction
Reducing energy use and creating renewable energy production on farm can further reduce a farm’s GHG emissions. This project aimed to promote smart energy use techniques on farms to reduce their energy consumption and increase their energy autonomy.
Last updated on March 24th, 2023
A contribution from Danone Ecosystem
Why does it matter?
23% of GHG emissions from Flemish agriculture come from energy use, so it is important to implement energy saving actions to reduce energy use and GHG emissions.
How did we solve this?
We installed a smart meter on farm to track energy consumption throughout the day, during various phases of the milk collection cycle (milking, cleaning, milk cooling etc.). Using this information, we decided which energy saving methods to implement. We implemented several energy saving technologies such as a vacuum pump control, which can reduce up to half of the power used during milking, a heat exchanger (or solar water heater), and lamps were replaced with LED-TL bulbs, saving up to 60% of energy.
After implementing these practices, on average each farm saved 4.600 kWh within a three month period. 64% of the farms that used frequency control on the vacuum pump saved up to 4.000 kWh/year, while 1.850 kWh/year of energy was saved by using LED-TLs .
Opportunities for other farms?
There are different energy saving techniques that can be applied on farms based on their size and needs. For example, pre-cooling techniques can be easily implemented on all dairy farms regardless of their size. Support from an energy consultant may be needed to assess which techniques may be suitable.
Visit the DANONE ECOSYSTEM website for more
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