Electric Farm

Important results from the project

The project aims to investigate technical solutions for the fully renewable operation of agricultural operations through electrification. The goal is a proposal for technical solutions that, if implemented, can realistically achieve the intended full renewable operation. This requires local generation and storage needs to be met to accomplish the function. A plan for how to demonstrate these solutions in Step 2 has been drawn up.

Expected long term effects

The result shows that a possible solution is a combination of local solar generation, modular and portable containers with batteries, wagons with hydrogen storage and fully electric work vehicles with adapted tools and technology for local charging of these work vehicles from the modular energy stores near, for example, the fields where much of the energy is used. Fully implemented, such a solution gives completely fossil-free agriculture with potential to also be a net producer of energy for the electricity grid.

Approach and implementation

The work was carried out through the engagement of four reference farms with different business orientations, careful mapping of their energy use in time (down to hour by hour all year) and rooms (near and far from the central parts of the farms) as well as primary energy types and proposals for alternatives with electric power as end use. Detailed time simulation of these models and models for local electricity generation and storage shows that reasonable installations provide energy balance throughout the year and access to the energy needed at all locations and all times during the year.