We asked Project Coordinator, Roberto Lázaro Gastón and Project Manager, Diego Redondo Taberner from CIRCE Research Center to  give a brief status on what has happened in the project so far and what is to come in the near future. Here is their answer:

Over the past months, the HarvRESt partners have successfully identified effective practices and initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions in agriculture, examined the needs of local stakeholders and the regulatory frameworks supporting RES integration in four countries (Italy, Spain, Denmark, and Norway).

Further, the partners have defined the baseline and goals of the project’s 5 use cases. Finally, concept, methodology, and key actions for developing HarvRESt stakeholder engagement strategies have been outlined. These steps are vital to achieving our project goals.

Looking ahead, we are preparing the organisation of warm-up events in each use case and launching awareness campaigns. The purpose of the campaigns is raising awareness of the project as well as promoting the adoption and integration of renewable energy systems (RES) in agriculture, and fostering collaboration among farmers, energy cooperatives, public authorities, and local energy industries.

Moreover, the KPIs that will assess the effectiveness of the HarvRESt solutions are in the process of being defined and the first agronomic trails to be carried out in the fields are being planned. Additionally, real data from the pilots are being evaluated, and we are beginning to assess various advanced tools. On one hand, these tools aim to predict renewable energy generation, and on the other, to model the behaviour of a hybrid installation generating both renewable energy and agricultural-livestock products.