Electrification of the agricultural sector in Norway in an effort to phase out fossil fuel consumption

Ville Olkkonen, Arne Lind, Eva Rosenberg and Lisa Kvalbein

Energy, 2023, vol. 276, issue C

Abstract: The Norwegian Agrarian Association has the ambition to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 4–6 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2-eq) by 2030 in the agricultural sector. As a part of this, 10–25% is expected to come from substituting fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. This paper focuses on the effects of phasing-out fossil fuel consumption in on-field tractor operations with electrification by introducing battery-electric and/or fuel cell tractors and on-site renewable energy generation and storage. The results show that electrification of on-field tractor operations can be a techno-economically feasible pathway to reduce tractor energy-use-related CO2 emissions in the agricultural sector. Annual CO2 emissions are observed to reduce by 69% in 2030 and 97% in 2050. However, the CO2 reduction potential can vary significantly based on the farm type. In this regard, the analysis revealed high sensitivity to manufacturing costs of zero-emission tractors (ZETs), which in combination with a low utilization rate can render the investment to ZETs unprofitable. Moreover, electrification increases electricity consumption, especially peak electricity demand in the agricultural sector. This effect can be reduced with on-site renewable energy generation and energy storage systems.

Keywords: Agriculture; Electrification; Energy system; Energy storage; Hybrid system; Renewable energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:276:y:2023:i:c:s0360544223009374

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2023.127543

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