Electrification of a Remote Rural Farm with Solar Energy—Contribution to the Development of Smart Farming

Adriano A. Santos (), Filipe Pereira, António Ferreira da Silva, Nídia Caetano, Carlos Felgueiras and José Machado
Additional contact information
Adriano A. Santos: CIDEM, School of Engineering (ISEP), Polytechnic of Porto (P.Porto), R. Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida 431, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
Filipe Pereira: CIETI—Centre of Innovation on Engineering and Industrial Technology/IPP-ISEP, School of Engineering, R. Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida 431, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
António Ferreira da Silva: CIDEM, School of Engineering (ISEP), Polytechnic of Porto (P.Porto), R. Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida 431, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
Nídia Caetano: CIETI—Centre of Innovation on Engineering and Industrial Technology/IPP-ISEP, School of Engineering, R. Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida 431, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
Carlos Felgueiras: CIETI—Centre of Innovation on Engineering and Industrial Technology/IPP-ISEP, School of Engineering, R. Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida 431, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
José Machado: MEtRICs Research Center, School of Engineering, University of Minho, Campus of Azurém, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-17

Abstract: Rural farms constitute a vital component of a country’s agricultural landscape, traditionally reliant on energy installations known for their reliability yet notorious for their energy-intensive and inefficient characteristics. While the smart farm concept, integrating renewable energy sources and resource management technologies, has seen widespread adoption in domestic and industrial sectors, rural farms have been slower to embrace these innovations. This study presents a groundbreaking solution, deployed on a rural farm in Portugal, resulting in an impressive 83.24% reduction in energy consumption sourced from the grid. Notably, this achievement translates to a substantial reduction in CO 2 emissions, aligning with the growing need for environmentally sustainable farming practices. The technical intricacies of this pioneering solution are comprehensively described and juxtaposed with other scientific case studies, offering valuable insights for replication. This initiative represents a vital first step towards the integration or combination of conventional farming with photovoltaic energy production, exemplified by agrivoltaic systems. In conclusion, this research showcases the potential for rural farms to significantly enhance energy efficiency and financial viability, thereby contributing to a more sustainable and cost-effective agricultural sector. These findings serve as a model for similar endeavors, paving the way for a greener and more economically viable future for rural farming practices.

Keywords: agrivoltaics; photovoltaic energy; renewable energy; smart farm; sustainable farms; SCADA; PLC (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/23/7706/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/23/7706/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:23:p:7706-:d:1285153

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().