Energy Conservation in a Livestock Building Combined with a Renewable Energy Heating System towards CO 2 Emission Reduction: The Case Study of a Sheep Barn in North Greece

Antonios A. Lithourgidis, Vasileios K. Firfiris, Sotirios D. Kalamaras, Christos A. Tzenos, Christos N. Brozos and Thomas A. Kotsopoulos ()
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Antonios A. Lithourgidis: Department of Hydraulics, Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Vasileios K. Firfiris: Department of Hydraulics, Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Sotirios D. Kalamaras: Department of Hydraulics, Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Christos A. Tzenos: Department of Hydraulics, Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Christos N. Brozos: Clinic of Farm Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 11 Stavrou Voutyra Str, GR-54627 Thessaloniki, Greece
Thomas A. Kotsopoulos: Department of Hydraulics, Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 3, 1-19

Abstract: Cold stress in sheep is usually overlooked, even though the animals’ welfare and productivity are affected by low temperatures. The aim of this research was to find out if and to what extent the temperature inside a sheep barn could be maintained within the range of the thermoneutral zone during winter, primarily to increase feed conversion and to reduce GHG emissions. For this reason, an automation system was installed at a sheep barn in northern Greece, and heat losses from the building were calculated. The biogas potential of the sheep barn waste was examined in the laboratory via the BMP method. The results showed that the installation of an automation system together with a hypothetical biogas heating system could maintain the barn’s temperature in the range of a sheep’s thermoneutral zone during winter for the 94% of the scenarios examined if the total energy of the biogas was utilized, while heating energy that was instantly and continuously used succeeded in 48% of the investigated cases. The surplus of energy produced by biogas could potentially raise the water temperature that animals drink up to 2.9 °C. The absence of cold stress decreases the dry matter intake and the CH 4 produced by ruminal fermentation. Moreover, lower GHG emissions are achieved as waste is treated through anaerobic digestion, which would likely be released into the environment if left untreated.

Keywords: greenhouse gas emissions; climate control; anaerobic digestion; biogas; cold stress; sheep barn (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
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