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The second HY4RES partner meeting took place from the 12 to 14 June 2024, at the University of Cordoba (UCO) in Spain. The nine project’s partners gathered to review the progress made over the last months and plan future activities. The Spanish partners UCO and Feragua took the opportunity to organise the project’s first open day, where they invited their key stakeholders to discuss the opportunities offered by hybrid renewable energy systems with the HY4RES experts.
On the 1st day, the partners gathered to review the progress made on the various work packages. Naufal Riyandi, PhD student at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), presented the work conducted on fish-friendly turbines and the first tests carried out on an aquaculture farm.
Then the researchers of UCO and the Instituto Superior Tecnico (IST) showed compiled data of energy demand of the four pilot sites over the last four years, underlining specific aspects of energy consumption for each sector. They highlighted the need for seasonal storage of solar energy to meet variable energy demand.
The work on pilot sites demonstrations has also progressed, as several exploratory visits were organised by the responsible partners, which permitted the identification of appropriate locations to implement the hybrid renewable energy pilot systems.
Theo Breidenstein-Jullien, researcher at Vertigo Lab and Chetanaya Sawhney, PhD student at TCD brought the day to a close with the presentation of tools that will be used in the project to make the holistic impact assessment of the hybrid renewable energy systems, taking into account all relevant indicators to measure sustainability: social, economic and environmental.
The 2nd day of the event began with a field visit to a solar plant in Valle Inferior irrigation district, where HY4RES’s agriculture pilot site is being implemented. There, floating solar panels will be installed on an irrigation pond, as well as a hydropower turbine on the hydrant connected to the irrigation network. The use of artificial intelligence combined with the use of sensors will make it possible to analyse the data from the hybrid renewable energy system to be installed in the irrigation communities, relating to their energy consumption and irrigation practices.
“Technology and innovation play an important role in our agriculture. Projects such as HY4RES help us optimize water and energy resources. This is an example of long-term work.” Matilde Esteo Dominguez, Mayor of Palma del Rio
After the field visit, a public event gathered about 60 stakeholders in Palma del Rio, in the community of irrigation of Margen Izquierda del Genil. Organised by Feragua, this event gave stakeholders the opportunity to exchange views with the project’s experts. The discussions focused on the solutions that will be developed and implemented in the four HY4RES pilot sites, and on the challenges faced by local farmers.
Aonghus McNabola from TCD, and Helena Ramos from IST, both experts in the project, focused on the essential role of research and the various technology studied and applied in the plants, to build sustainable systems that can be deployed in various sectors, improving share of renewable energy & better energy consumption.
Positive feedback was shared by local representatives such as the Mayor of Palma del Rio, who acknowledged HY4RES’ contribution to ensuring cleaner and more efficient energy production in the future. She underlined the fundamental role of technology and innovation in agriculture in Andalusia, and therefore the usefulness of the project.
The local commitment to support the work of HY4RES partners was reinforced during Rafael Calvo’s presentation, who shared his experience and the benefits he identified following the already installed solar plant in the Valle Inferior’s community of irrigation.
“We have managed to get 74% of the energy consumed from our solar plant and the ECO20 “Silver” certificate for self-consumption.” Rafael Calvo
Some farmers expressed their concerns on the issues encountered in the communities of irrigation, with questions focusing on availability of public funding and public-private partnership policies to support irrigation and energy projects for agriculture in Portugal and in Ireland.
“HY4RES combines hydropower and solar energy to supply energy to the irrigation network. AI and Big Data will also be used for optimal energy processing.” Emilio Camacho, UCO
Closing words from the regional authorities reiterated their support to the work carried out by HY4RES, emphasizing the importance for the irrigation sector and the region, as well as putting a spotlight on the “ecological spirit and the energy sovereignty of the farmers and the professionals who live from the natural environment”.
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