Five training sessions, five themes: over several months, the cycle of webinars “Sustainable Energy Transition in Agriculture” – organised by INESC TEC with the National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinary Research (INIAV), and with the support of the partners of the Tools4AgriEnergy project – will address questions like the introduction of PV systems in agriculture, robotics and IoT, energy efficiency and circular economy, as well as new business models and decarbonisation. The first online meeting will take place on October 16, at 2 p.m.
Europe is committed to moving at full speed towards decarbonising the energy system. A future that will also require the agro-food sector (quite dependent on energy resources) to adopt new self-sufficient and sustainable processes. Therefore, it is important to train professionals in the agro-food and agricultural sectors with knowledge about renewable energies, the adoption of energy-efficient behaviours, and the potential of individual and collective self-consumption. According to José Villar, a researcher at INESC TEC, these training actions can have a positive impact on supporting professionals in the sector, especially those closest to the energy domain.
“The integration of technologies like Agro-PV – which involves the installation of solar panels on agricultural land, so that they can generate electricity while allowing the cultivation of plants under them – is very important for the optimisation of cultivation and for the energy sustainability of small and medium-sized agricultural companies. This initiative not only empowers participants, but also fosters the creation of collaborative networks that can transform the way energy is managed in the sector”, explained the researcher.
The theme of the first webinar will be “Agro-PV, Robotics and IoT in Agriculture”, with the participation of Tatiana Guedes, researcher at INESC TEC, who will focus on basic concepts of electricity and architecture of a photovoltaic systems; José Orey and José Weinberg, from ENGIE Portugal, will present different photovoltaic solutions for agriculture, while André Aguiar, also a INESC TEC researcher, will address the automation of processes in agriculture through robotics.
The remaining training modules will take place in 2025, with the following agenda:
- New Business Models and Energy Communities | January 15
- Voluntary Carbon Market and Decarbonisation in Agriculture | March 19
- Energy Efficiency and Circular Economy in Agriculture | May 21
- FruitPV and Tools4AgriEnergy and Agro-energy Transition – PDR 2030 Vision | July 16
“We are moving towards a future where energy will be a differentiating factor on farms. The development of management tools for Renewable Energy Communities and collective self-consumption will allow a more efficient use of locally produced energy, reducing the energy costs of farms”, added José Villar.
The training cycle is open to all those interested in agriculture and energy and provides practical and innovative solutions to the sector’s challenges. All those interested can register here.
The Tool4AgriEnergy project, coordinated by INESC TEC, aims to explore the complementarities of the activities of the agricultural, livestock and agro-food sectors, focusing on SMEs and the establishment of renewable energy communities and collective self-consumption endeavours – through the creation of collaborative networks and the development of a digital platform for the management of said communities.
The researcher mentioned in this news piece is associated with INESC TEC.
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