The advent of modern solar-powered electric agricultural machinery: A solution for sustainable farm operations

Energy in transition

The field of Non-Road Mobile Machineries (NRMM) is now more than ever considering the adoption of electric systems to reduce the amount of pollutant emissions per unit of work. However, the intensity and complexity of the tasks performed by a working machine during its life is an obstacle to the widespread adoption of electric systems. Specific design solutions are required to properly split the power output of the hybrid powertrain among the different loads (wheel, power take off, hydraulic tools, etc.). In this work, a performance analysis between a traditional agricultural tractor and a proposed hybrid electric architecture of the same vehicle is shown. The comparison was performed on a set of tasks characterized on a real orchard tractor which were used to build the input signals of two different numerical models: one for the traditional diesel architecture and the other for the hybrid electric solution. The two models were tested with the same operating tasks to have a one to one comparison of the two architectures. Peak power capabilities of the hybrid solution and performance of the Load Observer energy management strategy were investigated to validate the feasibility of the proposed solution.

https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/12/3055/pdf

Analysis of a Parallel Hybrid Electric Tractor for Agricultural Applications

This study presents an updated review of the application of electric tractors. A customised drive system for the conception of a novel low-power electric tractor suitable for family farms is also introduced and discussed. The introduced system comprises several aspects regarding energy generation, transmission, conversion, storage, utilisation, conservation, and management, as well as sustainability issues. A 9 kW prototype composed of two three-phase induction motors, two independent inverters, and a lead–acid battery bank is presented. Flexible and safe operation is ensured by using an electronic control unit specifically designed for this project, as a dedicated control algorithm is also developed to provide greater versatility under common rural activities. Also, a supervisory system is proposed for data storage and performance analysis. To verify the proper performance of the electric tractor, the methodology used for conducting drawbar tests has been based on document CODE 2 by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Experimental results are presented and discussed; thus, demonstrating that the proposed electric tractor is technically feasible in terms of performance when compared with a similar internal combustion engine one.

https://ietresearch.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1049/iet-epa.2019.0353

Conception of an electric propulsion system for a 9 kW electric tractor suitable for family farming

Swarm robots in mechanized agricultural operations: A review about challenges for research

The majority of small family farms in underdeveloped regions lack appropriate motorized agricultural machinery that enables efficient farming and good productivity. This lack is because there is no equipment, in these regions, developed for specific small farming conditions. In general, family farms’ adoption of new technologies occurs only by technical criteria, without economic, social, or environmental considerations. This context intends to present a small-size electric farming tractor's feasibility for family farming to do energy transition between fossil energy for electrical energy. This power source was developed through a frugal innovation method. The main parameter of system optimization was the autonomy of work and this challenge was overcome through innovative planning and management of batteries in various operational configurations of energy transmission. This paper's main contribution was to demonstrate that there is economic and technical feasibility (compared with a conventional tractor) in the use of an electric tractor for small farms when there is adequate management of the use of batteries.

Electric tractor system for family farming: Increased autonomy and economic feasibility for an energy transition

Family farming is in many parts of the world still a significant factor in food production. However, farms in underdeveloped regions often lack the appropriate means to carry out agricultural activities in accordance with the state of the art, i.e. with the help of motorized machinery. On the other hand, especially in tropical regions, they generally own a reliable renewable energy source, principally in the form of solar radiation. In an effort to help to improve the returns of farming in an environmentally acceptable way, the project's objective is to investigate the feasibility of a small size electric farming tractor, which shall be able to use locally generated renewable energy. The crucial technical challenge is (as with other electric vehicles) to store sufficient electrical energy on the tractor for an extension of its operating time. On the other hand, economic competitiveness with comparable combustion engine tractors is a prerequisite for the project's success. Consequently, the project investigates an electric tractor system using alternative technical solutions in order to extend the operating time to a maximum and to compare the tractor's tractive power and its hourly operating cost to a combustion engine tractor of a similar power rating. To this end, an electric prototype tractor in conjunction with an appropriate electric generation, storage and transmission system are considered within this work.

Hans Heinrich Vogt

Papers

Conception of an electric propulsion system for a 9 kW electric tractor suitable for family farming

Electric tractor system for family farming: Increased autonomy and economic feasibility for an energy transition

Electric tractor propelled by renewable energy for small-scale family farming