Farmers, cheap energy is a thing of the past!

Europe is fast running out of fossil fuel resources and becoming increasingly dependent on imported primary energy sources, which threatens the entire economic stability of our region. It is of vital importance for Europe to tap into renewable sources of energy in order to decrease this dependence.

Farmers can fit very nicely into the rewables equation, reducing their own dependence on expensive fossil fuel based energy for running their farms, as well as selling excess capacity to the power grid, thereby generating a source of additional income.

Wind power offers a phletora of benefits to Europe, the environment and could also offer opportunities for dairy farmers:

• Reduces dependence on expensive fossil fuel based energy
• Offers commercial benefits and an additional source of income by selling excess capacity to the power grid- it is possible for wind power to contribute to up to 20% of the European power grid without posing any technical or practical problems
• Contributes to European energy security
• Reduces CO² emissions, as well as other pollutants and greenhouse gases- it is estimated that by 2010, wind energy will save around 140 million tonnes of CO² annually, over one third of Europe’s required reductions under the Kyoto Protocol obligation

Wind power production across Europe (in MW)

Wind power and Dairy Farms

When discussing wind power and turbines on a dairy farm we have to limit ourselves to small scale wind turbines, given that the bigger turbines are much more complex and far more expensive.

If you are considering an investment in wind power, first of all you will need to determine the wind potentials in your region, or farm area, before starting any calculations. The information on wind potential in your area will more than likely be available from national or regional energy and weather institutes. They should already have so called “wind maps” which provide accurate average wind potentials for given areas.

What do I need to consider?

• It is important to have a relatively constant wind speed and intensity- Wind speed can range between 5 to 25 m/s with greatest efficiency in electricity production being achieved between 10 and 15 m/s of wind speed.
• If you are thinking about a small scale wind turbine you need to remember that wind speed increases with height so try to mount your turbine on the highest possible place possible available to you- the most optimal locations are open hill tops that are not obstructed by trees or houses.
• Check the mounting regulations with your local government before taking any action.
• Make a simple calculation of the cost effectiveness for implementing a small wind turbine on your farm. If your farm is more isolated in terms of geographic location or has problems in regular supply, wind energy could be the best solution for you. If you are connected to a power grid you have to evaluate and calculate basic cost effectiveness for implementing a wind turbine. In both cases you need to find out the price of electricity in your country (€/kWh), both for the electricity you buy, as well as the price at which you could sell electricity to the gird. Also you need to check the possibility of storing electricity via the power grid. Finally, you need to establish the investment cost of a wind turbine (maintenance and mounting costs included) and average demand for power per day, month or year. With these few critical figures you can determine the cost effectiveness of a wind turbine.

For most small scale wind turbines generating DC electricity you would need some kind of converter to convert DC to AC electricity. If you are not connected to the national grid you would also need some kind of battery storage. If your system is connected to the grid batteries would not be needed since the grid could be used as electrical energy storage (check if this is possible in your country). Of course any additional electrical energy could also be sold to the electricity supply company.

The two most common types of small scale turbines are:

• Mast mounted
• Roof mounted

Size and power output can vary from a few hundred watts to a few megawatts. Typical small scale turbines would be between 1-7 kilowatts and typically cost between €10 000 to €25 000, with price of course depending on tower size, maintenance and mounting costs, government grants etc.

In terms of life expectancy, turbines offer in the region of 20 years of service, requiring maintenance checks every few years. Batteries have a life expectancy of between 5 and 10 years, thereby requiring replacement at intervals during the service life of the turbine.

Wind energy legislative issues

The main directive regarding electrical energy produced from renewable energy sources is the EC Directive 2001/77/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market. This directive provides a future plan for renewable energy sources ratio in the total EU electrical energy demand by the year 2010.

It is important to find out whether there are any additional frameworks for renewable energy forms in your country. Check out additional tax reliefs or other forms of incentives that your government may be offering. This could be advantageous when calculating a possible implementation of any kind of renewable energy form.