14 research outputs found
Priorities for energy efficiency measures in agriculture.
This report provides a compilation of energy efficiency measures in agriculture, their
opportunities and constraints to implement energy efficient agricultural systems across
Europe as a result of the AGREE (Agriculture & Energy Efficiency) Coordination and Support
Action funded by the 7th research framework of the EU (www.agree.aua.gr). The report
dwells on earlier reports of the consortium, which listed potential energy efficiency
measures (Project Deliverable 2.3: Energy Saving Measures in Agriculture – Overview on the Basis of National Reports) and identified trade-offs and win-win situations of various energy efficiency measures in agriculture (Project Deliverable 3.1: Economic and environmental
analysis of energy efficiency measures in agriculture). It shows research gaps in crop
production, greenhouse production, animal husbandry and system approaches, which can
be regarded as priorities for energy efficiency measures in agriculture. The report is na important input for the strategic research agenda, which is one of the main outputs of the AGREE project
Economic and environmental analysis of energy efficiency measures in agriculture. Case Studies and trade offs.
This report is the result of the collaboration of the partners of the AGREE work-package “Economic and environmental analysis”, which is based on case study analyses of the partners in seven countries of the EU. The case studies show economic and environmental trade-offs in the different regions in the EU, for which each partner is responsible. Nevertheless prior to the reporting of the case studies an intensive discussion on a common methodological approach has been accomplished and applied to the case studies. The case studies show a wide range of different perspectives of energy efficiency in agriculture, but they are all based on the common methodology presented in Chapter 3. In Chapter 4, the case studies are presented, with authors indicated at the beginning of each section. Each section of Chapter 4 ends with a synthesis analysis of the results from the different case studies. Chapter 5 summarizes and concludes the report by highlighting the major findings of the analyses.
The report builds upon the “State of the Art in Energy Efficiency in Europe” published separately by the AGREE consortium (Gołaszewski et al. 2012), which shows the status quo of energy use and possible energy efficiency measures in agriculture across different production systems and regions in Europe. This report presents an economic and environmental analysis based on in-depth case studies which show the potential for, and constraints on, energy efficiency measures in agriculture with respect to the specific environments in Europe
Recommendation of RILEM TC 271-ASC: New accelerated test procedure for the assessment of resistance of natural stone and fired-clay brick units against salt crystallization
This recommendation is devoted to testing the resistance of natural stone and fired-clay brick units against salt crystallization. The procedure was developed by the RILEM TC 271-ASC to evaluate the durability of porous building materials against salt crystallization through a laboratory method that allows for accelerated testing without compromising the reliability of the results. The new procedure is designed to replicate salt damage caused by crystallization near the surface of materials as a result of capillary transport and evaporation. A new approach is proposed that considers the presence of two stages in the salt crystallization test. In the first, the accumulation stage, salts gradually accumulate on or near the surface of the material due to evaporation. In the second, the propagation stage, damage initiates and develops due to changes in moisture content and relative humidity that trigger salt dissolution and crystallization cycles. To achieve this, two types of salt were tested, namely sodium chloride and sodium sulphate, with each salt tested separately. A methodology for assessing the salt-induced damage is proposed, which includes visual and photographical observations and measurement of material loss. The procedure has been preliminarily validated in round robin tests
Species Interactions Alter Evolutionary Responses to a Novel Environment
Adaptation to a novel environment is altered by the presence of co-occurring species. Species in diverse communities evolved complementary resource use, which altered the functioning of the experimental ecosystems
Recommendation of RILEM TC 271-ASC: New accelerated test procedure for the assessment of resistance of natural stone and fired-clay brick units against salt crystallization
This recommendation is devoted to testing the resistance of natural stone and fired-clay brick units against salt crystallization. The procedure was developed by the RILEM TC 271-ASC to evaluate the durability of porous building materials against salt crystallization through a laboratory method that allows for accelerated testing without compromising the reliability of the results. The new procedure is designed to replicate salt damage caused by crystallization near the surface of materials as a result of capillary transport and evaporation. A new approach is proposed that considers the presence of two stages in the salt crystallization test. In the first, the accumulation stage, salts gradually accumulate on or near the surface of the material due to evaporation. In the second, the propagation stage, damage initiates and develops due to changes in moisture content and relative humidity that trigger salt dissolution and crystallization cycles. To achieve this, two types of salt were tested, namely sodium chloride and sodium sulphate, with each salt tested separately. A methodology for assessing the salt-induced damage is proposed, which includes visual and photographical observations and measurement of material loss. The procedure has been preliminarily validated in round robin tests
Energy efficiency in Agriculture – Opportunities, Constraints and Research needs
Agriculture as a primary industry relies on energy use to a great extent. With
the depletion of fossil resources, increased energy prices will have a dramatic effect on
the competitiveness of agricultural production systems and energy efficiency will have
a great impact on the comparative cost advantages of agricultural production systems.
Within a Coordination and Support Action funded by the 7th research framework of the
EU (www.agree.aua.gr) a consortium from seven European countries identified
opportunities, constraints and research needs concerning energy efficiency in
agriculture
Agenda for transnational co-operation on energy efficiency in agriculture.
This report describes the stakeholder process set up by the AGREE project, to
produce an Agenda for Transnational Cooperation in R&D on the topic of energy
efficiency in agriculture. In six of the partner countries, represting a wide variety
of agro-climatic conditions, stakeholders from across the value chain and
representing the enabling environment, came together to discuss and identify
opportunities and bottlenecks for an energy efficient agriculture for the future.
The resulting lists were analysed and clustered to produce nine potential topics
for energy efficiency R&D in EU agriculture. In a transnational meeting with
representatives from each of the participating countries, as well as from the
External Advisory Board, R&D themes were identified and prioritised to produce a
list of eleven R&D areas:
1. Sensor technology
2. Agro-residue valorisation
3. Operational groups (energy efficiency networks)
4. Integrative solutions
5. Socio-economic scenarios research
6. Definitions and data exchange
7. Decision Support System (DSS) tools for farmers
8. Design tools
9. Local food strategies
10.Soil and water management
11.Farm machinery
In this report the above mentioned areas are explained and described and finally
suggestions for the potential embedding of each of the items is discussed