New Pilot site - Solar Thermal Energy (STE) for heating building of a pig farm in France.
Pig farming is an important sector of French agriculture. Heating needs are very important during the maternity phase (1st month) & post-weaning phase (6 to 8 wks after maternity). Heating is the first item of energy use because it represents 46% of the consumption of a farrow-to-finish farm.
EARL La Haute Brosse, is a pig farm located in North West France (Pays de la Loire). The pilot site is a high efficiency STE system (new generation of STE system) to supply hot water to heat a pig farm with 285 sows (maternity & fattening). It will be composed of 14 solar panels with their 4200 litres of solar tank storage (new generation STE) and some instrumentations. The pilot site will offer full information of the performance of the STE system in the pig farms heating activity .
The solar thermal plant will only be used for the post-weaning phase because this is the only building of the farm using hot water to heat the animals inside. Previously, this building with a capacity of 1200 piglets, was heated with a gas boiler using propane gas and a back-up of electricity.
Construction has commenced at the site. The pictures below show the site been cleared in the morning and by the end of the day, the underground pipework has been excavated, placed and covered up in preparation for the concrete slab to be poured. Stay tuned for updates on its progress.
