Development of the Technical Structure of the “Cow Energy” Concept

Heinz Bernhardt,Martin Höhendinger,Jörn Stumpenhausen

doi:10.3390/agronomy11101915

Abstract

Regional energy supply is an important topic in the context of the energy transition in Germany. The “Cow Energy” project aims to combine the production of energy and milk for the farmer. In order to take the different needs into account, a central energy management system (EMS) is being established. This system records and simulates how much electricity is generated from renewable sources (biogas, solar, wind, etc.) on the farm. This is compared with the consumption of the barn technology (milking robot, feeding robot, etc.). This energy management is regulated according to the needs of the cows. In order to balance the fluctuations between energy production and energy consumption, the EMS regulates various battery systems. One goal is to network this energy system with the region and to establish regional energy networks.

Highlights

Based on various societal demands, Germany is striving for an energy transition to transform the existing fossil-nuclear energy system into a sustainable energy system based on renewable energies [1]
The development of an intelligent, self-controlling energy management system is the focus of this research project
This paper shows that energy management system (EMS) is possible for dairy barns

Summary

Introduction

Based on various societal demands, Germany is striving for an energy transition to transform the existing fossil-nuclear energy system into a sustainable energy system based on renewable energies [1]. In the first half of 2020, renewable energy sources accounted for 55.8% of total electricity generation in Germany. The three most important sectors were wind energy with 30.6%, solar energy with 11.4%, and biomass energy with 9.7% of total energy generation [2]. Renewable energy production is distributed over large areas and is no longer centralised such as e.g., nuclear energy. This leads to a regionalisation of energy production with many small producers and difficulties in energy regulation [3]. Another aspect is the fluctuation of wind energy and solar energy. Additional north–south grid connections are being built to compensate for the differences in regional energy production [5]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion