Today, we share the Tribuna published in EL ESPAÑOL by Antonio Alvarez Gallego our Chief Operating Officer at Bolschare Energy, who poses an urgent question: How can agriculture be protected against current and future energy challenges?
The electricity blackout on April 28th not only plunged Spanish cities into chaos, but also thousands of farms throughout the country that suffered losses as a result of the supply deficit. The episode invites to put on the table a debate that we understand now, perhaps, as more necessary than a few weeks ago: how safe is the current energy model in the rural areas of our country. Although not many such incidents occur, a minor mishap has a major impact. Outside the big cities, where activity does not stop, a blackout can lead to loss of productivity, money and even health risks.
The electrification of rural areas, and in particular the agricultural sector, faces three major challenges: the level of interruptions, the price of energy and the duration of operational instability. The numbers, in this respect, speak for themselves. A rural farm relocated in Catalonia, for example, suffers an average of 22 power interruptions per year, in contrast to the 7 that usually occur in an urban environment; with a maximum duration of up to 19 hours compared to the 5 that can last in the city, according to data from the Generalitat. This situation compromises the productive processes of agricultural and livestock farms and is applicable to the reality of the country as a whole.
No less critical is the economic dimension of the problem. A report prepared by the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), attached to the Spanish Government, reveals that 4.5% of total energy consumption in our country goes to agricultural production, and most of it is linked to two structural elements in the management and operation of the field: irrigation systems and machinery.
We should also add that between 2010 and 2020 the price of electricity shot up by 60%, and the European average was 28%, with figures currently standing at €0.379 per kWh last year. On the other hand, there is a high energy dependence. Approximately three quarters of the energy generated in Spain comes from imports of crude oil and gas that allow facilities to operate which, due to their characteristics, are not connected to the electricity supply network. This type of installation is predominant in the agricultural environment, which is characterized by isolated infrastructures that, in many cases, cannot be linked to the general grid.
Finally, there are the operational challenges. The major blackout of a few days ago caused losses in Andalusia of up to 50% in newly transplanted crops and affected 20% of dairy cattle due to delays in milking, according to data from the Coordinadora de Organizaciones de Agricultores y Ganaderos en Andalucía (Coordinating Committee of Farmers and Ranchers Organizations in Andalusia). And all in a context in which rural electrification is 20% lower than urban electrification. In this context, we cannot fail to mention access to piped gas, which is a minority.
The paradox is obvious: the Spanish countryside generates 84% of the renewable energies consumed by the country, but only benefits, in terms of consumption, from 3% of the electricity coming from clean energy sources.
The solution to this scenario cannot be limited only to expanding conventional grids. There is a need to bet on new energy models that are decentralized, effective, efficient and resilient. Models that are characterized by their capacity to adapt to the environment, especially in the most critical situations.
For this reason, combining the adapted installation of different generation and storage technologies, such as solar photovoltaic with biomethane infrastructures – capable of converting organic waste, industrial, agricultural and livestock waste into renewable gas – emerges as a strategic necessity in order to reduce the dependence of the countryside, and of many rural environments, on the general grid.
The promotion of hybrid-type combined installations would make it possible, to a large extent, to close the energy cycle for the end consumer and reduce the ordinary bill. It would also contribute to the objectives of sustainability and circular economy, facilitating the dumping of the non-cumulative energy surplus produced whenever necessary.
Providing an optimal level of energy independence to the agricultural and livestock sector is more than a question of fairness towards one of the country’s main economic activities. It is a question of guaranteeing the continuity of an essential activity for which, in some cases – especially in livestock farming – it is almost impossible to halt its dynamics with sanitary guarantees. For this reason, having robust and adaptive systems for the generation of electricity in the agro-livestock facilities themselves emerges as a pressing need.
The major blackout in April, despite being a one-off event, can be understood as a considerable sign of an infrastructure whose capacity has been questioned. The primary sector needs certainties and guaranteeing energy is one of the most necessary. Strengthening energy autonomy is not only a response to a sustainability strategy, it is a strategic decision that improves profitability and reduces operational risks in the short, medium and long term.
The scenario calls for the concept of rural energy autonomy to be more than a mere long-term promise. It is a necessary goal that requires answers from everyone and that also challenges, in some way, the institutional representatives. Shielding our agriculture and livestock farming requires a firm commitment to new, technically feasible models that make it possible to respond effectively to unforeseen events that could prove dangerous for the future of the sector.