Objective
To produce a panel of 30 facilities of solar drying of fodder on the Roquefort area (FR) and to know the energy performances and the performances of drying of the installations.
To inform and train the farmers and their prescribers, and to transfer the SOLAGRO know-how towards the agricultural development agents. The potential of development of the drying installations of fodder is important : approximately 100 installations already exist (150 in 1996) and 400 installations are envisaged in the long term on the area.
The substitution of the fuel by the solar corresponds to 4 TEP/year/installation. The energy issue is therefore 1600 TEP/year. Positioning the solar at the beginning of this development gives therefore the prospect for rapid dissemination and integrated into the practices of the farmers. They need moreover to acquire technical skills on the drying of fodder.
A technical committee has been established uniting all partners in this program. Included are the representatives of Solagro (The Committee's Secretariat), the Environmental Agency and the Energy Authority (ADEME), the Regional Council of Midi-Pyrenees, and the General Confederation of Roquefort (which brings together the goat-milk producers' syndicates and the industrialists of the Roquefort cheese). Other partners may be included in the Technical Committee.
Six installations have been commissioned for the 1994 season harvest of fodders and these were monitored. The first results have been analysed : the yield of the collectors is averaging 20% to 33%, and the quantities of recuperated solar energy are varying from 30,000 kWh to 115,000 kWh.
Six other installations will be commissioned for the 1995 season. They will be subject to a campaign of measures shortly.
Studies concerning the practicalities are being undertaken and will be followed up during the next six months.
Drying of fodder in barn is of great interest within the framework of milk production for cheese-making. The technique is developed in an unequal way according to the regions and European countries. In the South-West of France, approximately 100 installations of drying fodder exist, mainly on the area of production of the Roquefort cheese. A standard drier includes by following the air circuit :
- a ventilator with often a domestic fuel hot air heater,
- drying surfaces of fodder (generally 2 per drier),
- evacuation of the air charged with steam towards the outside.
The region concerned with the project is the South-West of the Massif Central in France. Agriculture is there a dominant economic activity and the rearing of the ruminants in particular cattle and sheep (to a lesser extent goats) plays a vital role allowing the development of the pastures. It is a mountain area, the altitude varies from 300 m to 1500 m . The first fodder harvests (first cut) begin between the end of April and the beginning of June following the altitude and the weather conditions of the year.
The average weather conditions in May are rather homogeneous on the region, with however delays according to altitude which explain mowings more or less early :
- temperature : 13.5 to 14.0 °C
- relative humidity : 72%
- solar radiation : 5600 to 6000 kWh/m²/day
- wind speed : 3.4 to 5.1 m/s
The various phases of the project are :
- the design of the solar installations (feasibility study)
- the construction of the installation, with technical assistance
- the setting in operation of the installations
- the checking of the performances was carried out by measures on sites on days-type, as well as by drying campaign assessments of fodder.f the solar collector is estimated at 6,6 years, whereas life expectancy on the other hand is 15 years.
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
DEM - Demonstration contractsCoordinator
31300 Toulouse
France