Electrification of FarmsOptions for the production and use of renewable energy for on-farm

Presented by Paul Kenny

Agust 2019| Energy In Agriculture

• Energy and the electrification of everything

• Electrification of a Farm

• Solar PV/ Wind Energy and limitations

• Changing your energy use to maximise self supply

• Solar PV selection

• Heat pump case Study

Todays Discussion

• Fossil Fuel use is generally low efficiency, high cost, high emissions

• Chainsaw 15%; Car 25%; Tractor 35%; Truck 40%; boiler 85%

• Electric system higher efficiency

• Motor 90% + Battery 90% (EV 80%+)

• Heat pump 400%

• Renewable electricity much cheaper & easier than renewable fuels.

• Irish Electricity 30% (70% by 2030) Renewable; gas 0%; oil 5%.

• You can generate your own electricity cheaply (now).

• The future is electric

Energy and the Electrification of Everything

Energy and the Electrification of Everything

Typical home: 2015

• 18,000 kWh Heat (kerosene/gas) 85% η 9c/kWh

• 24,000 kWh Transport (oil) 20%η 15c/kWh

• 4200 kWh Electricity 80% η 15c/kWh

• 5000 kWh solid fuel 30% η 7c/kWh

Typical home: 2030

- 4,000 kWh Heat (Elec heat pump) 350% η 12c/kWh

- 6,000 kWh Transport (electricity) 20%η 8c/kWh

- 4200 kWh Electricity 80% η 15c/kWh

- 3000 kWh produced from roof

€6,00014 Tons CO2

€13002.0 Tons CO2 80%+ less Co2/ Cost

Farm Electrification

• Everything will be available electric – only a matter of time.

• Technology rapidly falling in cost & increasing in performance

• Farms need to consider electrification in long term

investments (as they become viable/ available)

• Include impact of carbon taxation and self supply

opportunity

• Often < moving parts

• New strimmer, chainsaw, cars, heating

• In the future… who knows!

• Solar 20%-30% of use is realistic ceiling. More electricity use,

larger cheaper solar.

Farm Electrification - Heat

• Heat pumps use electricity to move heat from

low temperature (outside) to high temperature

(radiators/ underfloor).

• Each unit of electricity = 3-4 units of heat.

• 60% plus of new homes – market moving this

way.

• Many Pig units using heat pumps Vs oil/ LPG

• New Poultry units should go underfloor with

heat pumps

• Hot water usage – dairy – recovery from chillers

• Farm houses – typically higher occupancy than

most, heat pumps as part of retrofit.

• No one pays small exporters for electricity – use it or lose it till 2021.

• Energy Efficiency 1st. Don’t waste money on generation before you become efficient.

• Know your loads

• What will you use and what will you spill

• Don’t be afraid to spill a little, but not too much.

• Use of hot water “dumps” good for balancing loads.

• Scale means value

• Consider maximising benefit through electrification of other loads

• What about transport now or soon

» Electricity just flows, no controls needed. Grid will supply shortfall

» Energy imports include:

• Energy costs

• Capacity costs

• Market costs, Grid costs & the lads who go out in storms to repair lines.

• Tax & Public service obligation.

• Profits

Generate your own power

Energy Efficiency First:- Lighting- Vacuum pumps- Cooling- Water pumps &

leaks- Heat pumps (50-

60% lower energy than boilers).

- Electric transport

• Ideally monitor electricity usage, but

often impractical

• KWh on bills (average hourly), read

meter morning and evening for a few

typical summer days for PV sizing, other

times for wind.

• Get a clear estimate of use per hour on

typical days. Focus on summer for PV,

winter for wind energy.

• If you use 10KW, then 13-15kW installed

is appropriate, more if battery or dump

available.

• Is the load steady or very variable?

Understanding Needs

Mounting system variations

• Roof – Fixed

• Roof - Ballasted

• Ground mounted – piled

• Ground mounted ballasted.

• Must be designed

• Lifting / wind loads more critical than

weight.

• Average weight <15kg/m2

Solar PV

Solar PV

• Yield averages 4.5kWh (units) per installed kW 5 monthsof the year.

• Peaks at about 7kWh/kW, but rarely (usually <5 days /annum)

• Pays to match load to below peak but above average.• Computer programs used where detailed data available.• Batteries (expensive) and immersion Dumps (cheap) help

load balance• Each extra kW of capacity added is used less (i.e. dumps

more) but costs less to install.• The balance of cost of electricity imports + solar

generation results in a U shaped curve.

A little on what costs & why?• Mounting systems. (roof/ ground/ fixings)

• Panels (generally commodity costs)

• Cabling to distribution board.(size and length)

• Inverter (size)

• Labour

• Profit

Planning permission

• >50m2 (c. 12KW) requires planning permission (soon to go).

• Ensure it’s included as part of new applications!

• Main issue is glare & can be controlled or screened

Solar PV

Capex:

• 2kW ~ €1600k/kW

• 10kW ~ €1200/kW

• 50kW ~ €900/kW

• 300kW ~ €850/kW

• 5000kW <€700/kW

Down 10% from last year.

• Large wind economics are impressive

• Wind Energy is proportional to cube of windspeed

• Wind speed really matters.

• Higher speed on tall towers

• Higher speed on mountains/ near coasts.

• Higher speeds in clean air.

• Small wind is challenged with all of the above.

• Energy proportional to Blade length2

• Large wind turbines making longer blades to improve economics.

• Challenged economics at small scale.

• However, self consumption is worth much more than exports

• Large Farm enterprises on windy sites worth considering.

Wind - Basics

• Supply and demand volatile and not necessarily linked.

• PV allows somewhat predictable summer generation.• Control systems or timers to link use and production.• Batteries make it much easier.

• Cost decreasing massively €2500/kW in 2015; now €400-€800.

• Becoming standard.• Essentially allowing higher % generation without

spill• Can also be used to charge at night and

discharge in early morning (saving 30-50% on costs).

• Hot Water Dumps are key for smaller scale.• Cheap to install, can be sequential (different

tanks)

Batteries and Integration

• Small loads like fences, remote lighting, small pumps could be off grid

more economically than bringing supply.

• Mainly DC – AC more expensive (€) off grid.

• Battery, Charge Controller, generator.

• Very simple, robust, off the shelf – think camper/boat.

• PV suitable for:

• Summer pumping loads,

• Remote sheds,

• Fencing

• Motorised Gates

• CCTV

Off Grid

• Most farms, industrial buildings & homes will have PV supplying 25-30% of

energy.

• Batteries will be in many of them & will supply grid services for revenue.

• Boilers will be replaced with heat pumps that will run summer water loads.

• Significant electrification of transport also.

• We’ll all still be customers of ESBN, but we’ll also be suppliers.

Future

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