Renewable energy system opportunities: A sustainable solution toward cleaner production and reducing carbon footprint of large-scale dairy farms

Abstract

The current study was undertaken to identify ways of reducing excessive energy consumption and the total greenhouse gas emissions in the large-scale dairy farm. Retrofitting was proposed as a potential solution for dairy farms. Principally, a thorough experimental energy audit approach was employed in a case study to assess the direct energy use share and intensity of real-time operating dairy farms. After determining the load profile and implementing energy efficiency retrofits, according to the comprehensive simulation, four different alternative energy systems were presented to yield the maximum output of renewable energy resources, including solar and bioenergy. As a cost-effective solution, using solar photovoltaic and thermal panels is the most cost-effective method of mitigating energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions challenges. The second alternative includes biogas energy, which shifts farm energy demands and yields 1223 MWh of power to the grid, however, 249 MWh of heat is required. According to the third scenario, the demand for the cooling system will also be covered; 972 MWh of electrical power is injected into the grid, and 349 MWh of heat is needed. By the combination of photovoltaic and thermal panels with the CCHP system, which is the most expensive one, the system can supply the cooling, heating, and electrical demand for the facility. It can also inject 2.9 GWh of electricity into the grid. The remaining 399 MWh of heat is required, with a 3.5-year payback. Grid failures can be compensated most effectively by using the alternatives proposed in the current study. Also, the burden of heavy loads on the grid was impressively decreased. Efforts were made to minimize the facility's carbon footprint and reduce annual GHG emissions by up to 3920 tCO2eq.