Research conducted for the Ministry of Agriculture.
The goal of this project was to examine means for the reduction of energy use or lowering energy costs in milking centers, and to propose measures that will include energy savings based on electricity and fuel consumption with a possible addition of solar energy, while meeting economical benefit criteria.
Work included a comprehensive literature survey regarding similar systems around the world, characterization of the milking center (cowshed and pen) in Ein Harod Ihud, characterization of measurements and control tools required in the Ein Harod Ihud milking center, equipment installation and data collection and calculations regarding electricity and fuel consumption in the milking center. Estimations had been made regarding the energy use reduction potential of the systems.
During the second research year, measurements have been conducted to verify estimations' validity. The energy consumption and reduction potential were re-calculated, and alternatives were presented and studied. Furthermore, benefits of GHG emissions reduction were evaluated and the applicability of this project on other milking centers was discussed.
