SINERGIA and AGRICARE: Two European projects on energy efficiency in the agrifood and agriculture sector

by Marco Meggiolaro, EURIS Srl, Maurizio Notarfonso, Federalimentare Servizi Srl, Federica Colucci, Francesca Zinni, Ombretta Presenti and Massimo Iannetta, ENEA

DOI 10.12910/EAI2017-037

Advantages coming from technological competences are a specific feature of the competitive processes of the industrialised world, since the development potential of advanced Countries depends on their ability to continuously innovate production systems

In the Mediterranean in the agrifood and agriculture sector companies, often small and medium-sized (SMEs), still spend few resources on improving energy efficiency and innovation, which is, instead, a crucial factor for their competitiveness. Consequently, the energy costs associated with the various operations (e.g. soil tillage, sowing, harvesting but also pasteurization, drying, cooling, heating) may be very significant. It is, therefore, necessary for SMEs to implement actions aimed at improving energy efficiency (e.g. adopting innovative cultivation techniques, replacing old machinery, changing technologies) and introducing energy self-production from renewable sources.

In this context the link between scientific research and the world of production has been strengthened with an increasingly central role in the transfer of technology from knowledge-based institutions (universities and public research centers) to those which use it economically (enterprises). The technological transfer enables the introduction of important innovation processes in the SME system, including the improvement of energy efficiency, which is one of the main objectives of two European projects: SINERGIA for the agrifood and AGRICARE for the agriculture sector. …