FOTOPUR Operational Group: Photovoltaic energy utilization system and emission reduction from the surface of slurry lagoons in pig farms

Type Operational group
Status In progress
Execution 2024 -2027
Assigned Budget 532.313,82 €
Scope Supraautonómico
Autonomous community Aragón; Castilla y León
Main source of financing CAP 2023-2027
Project website GO FOTOPUR

Abstract

FOTOPUR seeks to develop an innovative and cost-effective solution to cover slurry ponds that will reduce the emission of gases harmful to the environment, air quality and health (such as ammonia and methane), taking advantage of this surface to produce electricity from renewable sources.

Description

The project will determine the technical and economic feasibility of combining photovoltaic energy production with covering manure lagoons to reduce emissions. This will help all Spanish pig farms and their management centers comply with national and European emissions regulations.

Description of activities

Evaluation and comparison of floating photovoltaic systems for their possible application in slurry lagoons: identification of the requirements that these systems must meet.
Proposal of optimal solutions for covering slurry lagoons and photovoltaic utilization: selection of the most suitable floating photovoltaic system and design of the required modifications or, where appropriate, bases of a new design.
Measurement of emissions from uncovered and covered slurry lagoons using the proposed solution: measurement plan and method.
Analysis of the satisfaction of the electricity demand of pig farms with photovoltaic production in their slurry lagoons: sizing of the photovoltaic installations of the prototypes and comparison on demand of the farms and photovoltaic production of the prototypes.
Feasibility assessment of floating photovoltaic generation on slurry ponds: analysis of degradation of prototype materials.
Evaluation of the social, economic and environmental impacts of the project and the proposed solutions: preparation of questionnaires, conducting interviews and evaluation of results.
Market study, possible business plan and, where applicable, possible patent for a floating system for photovoltaic application on slurry lagoons.

Contextual description

FOTOPUR aims to mitigate the environmental impact of pig farming in areas with intensive activity, such as Aragon (Spain). In Spain, the pig sector generates more than 90 million cubic meters of slurry annually. During storage, the slurry releases large quantities of ammonia (NH3), which pose a serious problem for the environment, climate change, air quality, and health.

To try to curb the increase in emissions, Directive (EC) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the Council sets a ceiling on permitted national emissions of certain air pollutants, such as ammonia. Subsequently, Regulation (EU) 2018/842 of the European Parliament and of the Council updated the climate targets for Spain. However, Spain has exceeded the NH3 pollution limit, having increased its emissions by more than 10% compared to 1990. Focusing on the intensive livestock farming sector, Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2017/302 incorporates a list of Best Available Techniques (BAT) applicable to pig farms. The adaptation of Spanish legislation to this European regulation establishes a deadline for reducing ammonia emissions into the atmosphere from slurry storage. The directive establishes a series of BATs regarding the covering of rafts with rigid, flexible or floating covers.

Furthermore, Royal Decree 306/2020 establishes a reduction of up to 80% in emissions from newly constructed slurry lagoons, compared to uncovered lagoons. FOTOPUR is the continuation at the national level of the Aragonese project “Alternatives in the use and control of the potential of slurry lagoons,” a collaborative initiative involving stakeholders in the agricultural sector, framed within the Aragon Rural Development Program 2014-2020.

The project developed a demonstrative prototype of a floating photovoltaic system on the slurry lagoon of a sow farm located in the municipality of Tauste. The results revealed the difficulties posed by both the chosen floating system and the proposed overall covering solution (assembly, maintenance, degradation, etc.).

Objectives

FOTOPUR is developing an innovative solution for covering slurry lagoons that reduces the emission of harmful gases, such as ammonia, by using that surface area to produce electricity from renewable sources. This will help all Spanish pig farms and management centers comply with national and European emissions regulations. Furthermore, this solution utilizes a typically unusable area for photovoltaic energy generation, avoiding the need to allocate other land for this purpose.

Other objectives:

Determine the feasibility of combining photovoltaics with covering manure lagoons to reduce emissions, and identify the optimal system for this purpose. - Propose optimal solutions for covering manure lagoons and utilizing photovoltaic energy. This will involve studying the applicability of existing floating photovoltaic systems on the market and, where necessary, the required modifications to their design. Determine the impact on pollutant emissions from manure lagoons due to covering them with the appropriate photovoltaic system, measuring emissions from covered and uncovered lagoons. Determine the relationship between the energy demand of pig farms and the potential photovoltaic energy production in their manure lagoons. Determine and demonstrate the applicability of the proposed solutions to the Spanish pig farming sector. Evaluate the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the project and the proposed solutions. - Explore the potential commercialization of a specific photovoltaic system for covering slurry lagoons. FOTOPUR seeks to develop an innovative solution to cover slurry lagoons that will reduce the emission of harmful gases, such as ammonia, by using that surface to produce electricity from renewable sources.

This makes it easier for all Spanish pig farms and management centers to comply with national and European emissions regulations. Furthermore, this solution utilizes land that is typically unused for photovoltaic energy generation, thus avoiding the need to allocate other areas of land for this purpose.

This makes it easier for all Spanish pig farms and management centers to comply with national and European emissions regulations. Furthermore, this solution utilizes land that is typically unused for photovoltaic energy generation, thus avoiding the need to allocate other areas of land for this purpose.

Contact information

Coordinator/Entity Name: TAUSTE SWINE HEALTH DEFENSE GROUP NO. 1
Postal address: Polígono Industrial Las Rozas, parcela IV, 50660, Tauste, Spain
Email coordinator/entity: triniads@gmail.com
Telephone: +34 976856022

Coordinators