Ulster University and AgriSearch have launched a survey investigating renewable energy generation and consumption on dairy farms.
The survey is being used as part of the AgriSearch funded PhD project at Ulster University which aims to model and optimise on-farm renewable energy generation using artificial intelligence.
The survey asks a number of straight forward multiple-choice questions relating to on farm electricity usage, including wind, solar, biogas and hydo options.
The survey also provides the opportunity for dairy farmers to express an interest in participating in the project. Those farms selected for the study will have energy meters installed to record energy consumption and generation.
The proposed project, which is being undertaken by PhD student Enda Crossan ultimately aims to improve sustainability and profitability for the dairy sector in Northern Ireland.
Renewable energy project
It will use artificial intelligence to maximise the use of energy, by offsetting the use of the grid supply, and minimising the kWh cost/L of milk.
The research will address the cost-effective optimisation of the balance between the scaling of renewable resources, the sizing of storage capacity, and the timing of when generated energy can be consumed/stored on the farm using AI techniques.
All dairy farmers are encouraged to complete the survey whether or not they currently have renewable energy generation on-farm. It can be accessed via the AgriSearch website.
The opportunity exists for any dairy farmer to get involved by completing the further participation section of the survey.
AgriSearch and Dale Farm will provide access to several robotic and traditional dairying farms for data gathering of energy in the dairying process and renewable generation.
The research project follows on from a previous pilot undertaken by the School of Computing, Engineering and Intelligent Systems at Ulster University, and co-funded by AgriSearch in partnership with Dale Farm, College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) and Ulsters Farmers Union (UFU).
The pilot project established and quantified the opportunity of on-farm renewable generation when there is a miss-match in the timing of energy generation and consumption.
