Environmental Efficiency of Post-Harvest Grain Processing in Combined Photovoltaic/Wind Power Systems

Abstract

In the context of increasing production of grain and leguminous crops, the amount of energy used during their post-harvest processing also increases, and, consequently, greenhouse gas emissions from the consumption and production of such energy increase. Since the post-harvest grain processing is one of the energy-intensive processes in the production of agricultural products, and the largest use of energy in this process falls on the drying of grain, the purpose of this study was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electricity consumption upon post-harvest grain processing by using hybrid photovoltaic/wind power systems to meet the needs of low-temperature grain drying. Installations that use this process are aerated bins. Power supply of such systems from the power grid accompanies indirect carbon dioxide emissions from electricity consumption. It was established that one of the ways to reduce the emission of such gases, as well as to ensure reliability and energy efficiency for low-temperature grain drying in aerated bins is the use of wind and solar radiation energy. To compare environmental efficiency, it was determined that the criterion for the efficiency of using hybrid photovoltaic/wind power systems to improve low-temperature grain drying is a direct environmental criterion for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity consumption. It was established that the environmental effect of reducing carbon dioxide emissions depends on the levels of autonomy of the use of hybrid photovoltaic/wind power systems and the amount of electricity consumed during low-temperature grain drying. It is theoretically calculated that the use of such systems to power active ventilation bunkers can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 122.7 to 16,564.5 CO2 kg for low-temperature drying of grain from 25 to 225 tonnes of grain per year. The practical value of this study was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during low-temperature grain drying by using combined photovoltaic/wind power systems

Keywords

• renewable energy sources
• low-temperature drying of grain
• agricultural production
• ecological criterion