Iranica Journal of Energy and Environment (Jan 2012)
Assessment and Optimization of Energy Consumption in Dairy Farm: Energy Efficiency
Abstract
Energy is considered as an important production factor in many systems and therefore should be managed in parallel with other main production resources including land, labor and capital. In this paper, the energy efficiency scores of some selected dairy farms, using the non-parametric data envelopment analysis approach was assessed. The results for efficient farmers based on two DEA models showed that with an energy conservation policy, farmers can perform better in stock farming. The total energy consumption was 72.8 GJ/cow and the top two energy consuming inputs as feed intake and electricity drew the fact that promoting input utilization efficiency seems critical. The mean technical efficiency score of 0.88 made this ample need more apparent. Machinery, electricity and feed were suggested as the main inputs for optimization due to their high contribution in energy saving (46 and 36%, respectively). The least amount of ESTR (Energy Saving Target Ratio) for human labor indicated that it is employed efficiently. By practicing efficiently, dairy farmers are potentially capable of reducing their energy consumption by 16.8%. In this study, adopting new methodologies, cutting the excess use of inputs such as feed stuffs through using standard feeding rations and providing consultancy and extension programs are recommended.
