Agriculture, livestock and agro-industrial sectors are the most advanced in energy efficiency

In this interview, Sió analyses the process of transformation of the agricultural and livestock sector towards the implementation of energy-efficient processes, traffic that must be based on three basic pillars: training, technology and investment incentives.

Jaume Sió, Assistant Director-general of Rural innovation, of the Department of agriculture, food and Rural Action of the Generalitat de Catalunya

The agricultural sector, insofar as it is consumer of energy, is also undergoing the structural problems of energy resources at the global level: progressive rising energy prices. Energy savings in all areas in which it is applicable should give priority to this increase in energy prices.

In Catalonia, according to data from the Energy Plan 2006-2015 of the Government of the Generalitat of Catalonia, the primary sector consumes approximately 3% of the total consumption of energy.

The forecast on the horizon of 2015 is that current consumption reduction of 7%, done which will mean a saving estimated 61 million euros. Compared with sectors such as transport or industry, the primary sector has an insignificant consumption rate.

However, there are way to go, especially in areas productive agricultural large consumers of energy such as intensive agricultural and livestock productions.

It must act on the elements and systems of economic sectors in which the energy expenditure is higher and, therefore, the way to go in energy savings is longer.

These sectors, as a general rule are those who have a high level of intensification: pigs, poultry farming, irrigation, industry, etc. requiring facilities or vehicles that consume large amounts of energy: installations of heating or cooling, insulation, tractors, engines, pumping groups, etc.

In the specific area of the modernization of the Park of tractors, it is addressed through the establishment of specific helplines to agricultural entrepreneurs. GIVING (Department of agriculture, food and Rural Action of the Generalitat of Catalonia) has opened the line of aid for the renewal of the fleet of machinery; It's the 'renove plan' of tractors. This line of aid for the years 2005 to 2008, has resolved more than 700 records with an amount of EUR 10.5 million. One of the requirements that are valued in the granting of these subsidies is the energy of the new tractor that is acquired, giving priority, of course, classified in the highest category (A) energy efficiency.

In the field of modernization of irrigation systems, giving, and in the framework of the Plan for irrigation in Catalonia, it has provided various actions on the modernization of existing irrigation and implementation of new irrigation systems; in all these actions are gives priority to the implementation of facilities that optimize the energy and water consumption.

To determine the energy savings it brings to a production system, for example, the genetics of plants, their sensitivity to diseases or fertilizers used make lack studies very deep and often non-existent. In the meantime, analysis of life cycle of an agricultural product studies provide information on the energy needs of all the production process of this. By way of example, one of the areas where this fact manifests itself objectively is in the use of fertilizer of organic origin from chemical fertilisers, which require, typically petroleum products and high levels of energy for its production.

Nevertheless, optimization of energy resources through, first, the study of the points to improve the processes of energy consumption, i.e. the realization of energy Diagnostics. Later, with the results of the diagnostic should be the measures that may arise within the productive sector.

Since they have been energy Diagnostics in the areas of intensive farming (pigs and poultry), intensive agriculture (greenhouses and communities of irrigators), and the agro-industrial sector (cold storage). During this year are provided for energy diagnosis also in respect of fishing vessels.

On the basis of the results obtained in the different energy Diagnostics and in order to promote energy efficiency in farms in Catalonia, giving convened in 2008 an order of aid for the improvement of energy efficiency on agricultural greenhouses and farms of pigs. This order of aid received 120 requests, today still unresolved.

Huelva Strawberry field with an irrigation system based on a new method of diagnosis by Verdtech A new field, which takes into account data from plant, climate and soil for an optimized irrigation.

"The suppliers of machinery and facilities of the agricultural and agri-food sector are aware of the value that acquires a product the more efficient is the use of energy and, by extension, in respect for the environment"

In the Catalan area of irrigation Plan of Catalonia he envisages as a requirement for the works of new irrigation or transformation of existing irrigation, among other things, the incorporation of programmes for management of irrigation networks containing the most recent technological innovations in remote control of consumption, incidences of hydrants and valve, and billing management.

As regards the management of irrigation systems, giving maintains and makes available to farmers of all irrigated areas in Catalonia a tool's recommendations for irrigation in agriculture and gardening, which is available to users through the RuralCat portal. Through this Web site is updated weekly recommendations of irrigation information and sent by email or SMS. There are currently around 500 given users signup for this service, with a total of 1,500 registered parcels on which are given personalized recommendations of weekly allowance of irrigation.

From our point of view, the main obstacle to the transformation of the sector towards the implementation of processes with energy consumption reduced and more efficient than the current passes through the availability of technology applicable to the sector, the training of persons who work in it and aid to investment programmes.

The renewal of the fleet of agricultural machinery is one of the priority objectives for the administrations in the field of energy efficiency.

Currently subsectors most advanced in the process of transformation towards more environmentally friendly practices in energy terms, with the environment are the activities of more intensive agriculture and animal husbandry as well as the agro-industrial sector. These are the sectors that could be considered more advanced due to the fact that they are the major energy consumers and, therefore, the first which has affected when saving and energy efficiency policies to be implemented.

From administrations policies in the fields of the savings and energy efficiency and renewable energy are driving. In Spain, through the Institute for diversification and energy saving (Idae) promote these lines of action, respectively, the Action Plan 2007-2012 strategy of saving and energy efficiency for Spain and the renewable energy 2005-2010 Plan.

These plans are articulated through agreements framework of collaboration with the autonomous communities. In Catalonia, the Idae has signed a framework agreement for collaboration with the Institut Català d' energy (Icaen) for the "definition and implementation of the actions referred to in the Action Plan 2008-2012 of the strategy of energy saving and efficiency in the area of the Generalitat of Catalonia". This Convention includes performances in different sectors strategic and very consumers of energy, such as transport, industry, the edificación…, and also the sector of agriculture and fisheries, specific measures of education, irrigation, fishing, audits energy, tractors and conservation agriculture.

In addition to the policy initiatives in the field of energy of the State, in Catalonia also has defined Energy Plan 2006-2015, a plan with specific programmes of savings and energy efficiency, renewable energy, infrastructure and r & d oriented to major economic sectors of activity.

Suppliers of machinery and facilities of the agricultural and agri-food sector are aware of the value that acquires a product the more efficient is the use of energy and, by extension, in respect for the environment. In this sense, the majority of suppliers, will be competitive in its sectors of activity, opt for the incorporation of technical improvements in its products involving commercial added value, especially nowadays, when it is promoting awareness of energy saving both from the environmental and economic point of view.

The difficulty introducing the study of a production process from the origin of all its inputs, usually studies of energy efficiency on farms are based on the productive process itself by identifying and influencing, even, the components of this process more energy consumption pose.

The comprehensive study of all the previous processes in a production model requires a work in depth. Usually, with the desire to optimize the resources (human and financial) available from the Administration, this type of study have been replaced by energy diagnosis of specific processes, with the aim to provide points of the supply chain where influence on time to achieve savings in the use of energy.

In the energy diagnosis carried out by administration public Catalan places particular emphasis on the study of electricity and fuel consumption, the study of the conditions of work of the teams, the insulation and evaluation of energy consuming production processes, among others.

In Catalonia the Energy Plan 2006-2015 expected to give great impetus to renewable energy by multiplying the consumption of 2003 on the horizon at the end of the Plan, by 2015 by four, i.e., is expected to move from 2.9% use of renewable energy to 9.5% by 2015 on him total primary energy in Catalonia.

The agricultural and livestock sector is also involved in the energy policies of the Government of Catalonia. In particular, of the total production of renewable energies, 17.4 per cent is expected coming from biomass and biogas plants, and 18% of biodiesel plants. Energy sources wind, hydroelectric and solar will complete the range of renewable energy has Catalonia on the horizon of 2015.

The Energy Plan 2006-2015 provides for that the agrorrural sector has a significant involvement from the scope of the production of biomass (with planting of crops for biomass, use of remains of pruning, forest exploitation, etc.), both the production of solar energy with the so-called solar fields from the field of the production of biofuels (biogas and/or) (biodiesel) allowing close cycles of carbon for energy purposes.

Technological innovations incorporated into the agricultural sector for the energy optimisation of its processes can be summarized in two main groups as it concerned the volume of investment.

On the one hand large investments in facilities and infrastructure geared, for example, the production of biogas or photovoltaic electricity generation can be considered. On the other hand, also have been other technological implementations in the agricultural and agro-industrial sector which define the path to these processes of energy optimization. Thus, for example, be included in this Group investments by replacement of machinery (Plan renove tractors, machinery agrícola… acquisition), the incorporation of computer management software for the optimization of processes (irrigation networks) and the improvement of insulation materials, from air conditioning and heating in farms, greenhouses and cold storage systems.

The prevention is the best way to deal with the uncontrollable factors of climate science in agriculture and, in general in any economic sector. As for rain, the best way to avoid the loss of fertile soil because the surface currents is to have preventive measures to avoid. These measures can be the maintenance of a permanent plant cover or the soundness of the terraces in lands with slope. These measures are applied in the agricultural sector through the conditionality.

"Life-cycle studies are replaced by energy diagnosis of specific processes, with the aim to provide points of the supply chain where influence on time to achieve savings in the use of energy"

Competitiveness in the agricultural sector is also based on their environmental sustainability. A production system that may not be expectations of sustainability to energy level can not be understood. Thus, it should be the viability of the productive sectors taking into consideration the energy consumption of these.

The preparation of human tissue linked to the agricultural sector is fundamental to achieve these objectives. For this reason giving offers sector instruments such as PATT (technology transfer annual Plan), the agrarian professional or continuing training, or the system of agricultural advice. Training in all its aspects is essential in order to achieve and maintain levels of technical knowledge and management in the sector which favours the existence of companies more competitive, environmentally friendly with the environment and economically viable.