The Laboratory of Alternative Energy Sources in Agriculture was established to operate as an academic unit in 2000. This laboratory was detached from the laboratory of Agricultural Mechanization getting out a part of its scientific objects. The laboratory is housed in the building of the Agricultural Structures Control Center in the University farm. Among the laboratory’s activities are the development of autonomous new courses as well as the elaboration of research work in the field of its objects. Today, the Staff of the laboratory includes one Professor, two Emeritus Professors, one collaborator Assistant Professor and three scientific collaborators. The laboratory activities are also supported by a number of postgraduate students who are working for their degrees in the Faculty of Agriculture.

 

The head of the Laboratory

Prof. Papamichail Dimitris

 

Postal address

 

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Faculty of Agriculture

Laboratory of Alternative Energy Sources in Agriculture

Thessaloniki 541 24, Greece

Tel: +30 2310 998755

FAX: +30 2310 998767

Email: papamich@agro.auth.gr

 

Staff Laboratory

 

Academic staff

 

Head of the laboratory

Prof. Papamichail Dimitris, Dipl. of Agr., MSc, PhD

Tel. 2310 998755

E-mail: papamich@agro.auth.gr

Hydrology: Hydrological modelling, Frequency analysis of extreme events, Flood routing, Analysis and modeling of hydrologic time series, Hydrologic forecasting, Design and operation of irrigation reservoirs, Water resources management, Water Footprint Assessment, Climate change, Droughts Irrigation: Irrigation, Crop Water Requirements and Irrigation scheduling, Crop yield response to water, Design and operation of farm irrigation systems.

 

Emeritus Prof. Nikita Martzopoulou Cryssoula, Dipl. of Agr. Eng., PhD

Tel. +302310 991786/998741

E-mail: nikita@agro.auth.gr

Greenhouse structures. Livestock and farm buildings. Environmental control of greenhouses and agricultural structures. Control and quality certification of greenhouses and livestock buildings. Rational use of alternative energy sources (solar, geothermal etc) in greenhouses and farm buildings.

 

Emeritus Prof. Gerasimos Martzopoulos, Dipl. of Agr. Eng., PhD

Tel. +302310 991787/998714

E-mail: martzopo@agro.auth.gr

Exploitation of alternative energy sources (solar, geothermal, wind and waste energy, Biomass, Energy crops, Biofuels. Energy saving technologies in agriculture. Livestock mechanization. Agricultural waste management – treatment and disposal.

 

 

Collaborators – Academic Staff

As. Prof., Kotsopoulos Thomas, Dipl. of Agr. Eng., Dipl. of Civ. Eng., MSc, PhD

Tel. +302310 991796

E-mail: mkotsop@agro.auth.gr

Agricultural waste management. Use of animal wastes to produce biogas and biohydrogen. Production of biofuels. Use of geothermal energy for heating purposes in agriculture. Energy saving in Agriculture. Anaerobic degradation of organic waste. Agricultural Structures (livestock buildings etc.)

 

Scientific collaborators – Researchers

Stylianos Tamvakidis , Dipl. of Agr. Eng., MSc., PhD

Research areas: Energy saving in agricultural structures

Tel. +306944556629

Email: tamvakidis@mail.com

 

 

Vasileios Firfiris, Dipl of Mech Eng, MSc, PhD candidate

Research area: Agriculture structures heating and cooling- Energy conservation methods in agriculture.

Tel. +30 6973249532

Email: firfiris@agro.auth.gr

 

 

Andreas Michail- Kosmopoulos, Dipl of Agr, MSc student

Research area: Natural ventilation in agriculture structures- energy conservation

Tel. +30 6942987367

Email: akosmopo@agro.auth.gr

 

 

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

 

The Laboratory of Alternative Energy Sources covers the educational needs in the following objects: Energy production by pv and wind systems. Biofuel production. Exploitation of alternative energy sources in agriculture. Heating of agriculture structures by the use of geothermal energy. Heating of agriculture structures by the use of solar energy. Energy conservation in agriculture.

 

RESEARCH AREAS

 

 

ENERGY PRODUCTION FROM ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES

 

Electricity production by the use of solar cell and wind generator systems. Energy production from biomass (Biofuels, biogas, bioethanol). Use of biomass for co-production of heat and electricity.

 

EXPLOITATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES IN AGRICULTURE

Use of geothermal energy for heating greenhouses and agricultural structures. Use of passive and hybrid solar systems for heating livestock buildings. Technico-economic evaluation of passive and hybrid solar energy technologies for heating and cooling livestock installations.

 

ENERGY CONSERVATION IN AGRICULTURE STRUCTURES

Energy conservation by the use of passive solar systems. Energy conservation by the use of shallow geothermal energy. Heat pumps.

 

SERVICES

RESEARCH-EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS

Research project “Hybrid solar heating system of pig units”. G.S.R.T.

Research project of the Ministry of Agriculture “Geothermal heating systems of greenhouses”. Six research greenhouses were constructed and five geothermal heating systems were studied.

Member of a network within the frame of FAO for the application of the geothermal energy in agriculture. Operation of summer school in the frame of the network.

Waste management and treatment of pig farms in the community of Filyra-Trikala. G. S. of Thessaly. Contract: Perfecture of Trikala.

Intensive educational project “Construction, equipment and energy for greenhouse crops” in the frame of SOCRATES with the participation of five countries (PT, SP, FR, IT, B).

Educational European project for the rational use of renewable energy sources in agricultural, industrial and civil structures. Common project between the Faculty of Engineering – Dept. of Civil Engineering and the School of Agriculture – Section of Agricultural Engineering of the Aristotle University.

Programme INTERREG II “Training in clear energy technologies for energy saving in agricultural and industrial buildings & installations” with the participation of four countries ( Albania, FYROM, Bulgaria and England).

“Feasibility study of the intergraded management of the greenhouses in municipality of Dovra, Imathia”. G. S. of C. Macedonia. Contract: municipality of Dovra-Imathia.

“Feasibility study of Sanitary landfill”. G. S. of C. Macedonia. Contract: municipality of Strymoniko-Serres.

Digital Research Center. Network of Innovation and Sustainable Development of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Design and construction of a pilot anaerobic reactor for biogas production.

COMENIOUS-SOCRATES GREECE – BULGARIA – ITALY “European Integration in Training of Trainer from High Agricultural Schools”. EUROPEAN COMMISSION – EDUCATION AND CULTURE DIRECTORATE GENERAL.

INTERREG IIIA /PHARE GREECE – ΒULGARIA ” Development of a common Educational Programme for Postgraduate Studies in Agricultural Engineering “.

INTERREG IIIA / CARDS GREECE – FYROM “Development of a common Postgraduate Curriculum for graduates from Geotechnical and Polytechnic Faculties.

INTERREG IIIΒ ΑRCIMED “ATMOSnet” Aerobiological Territorial Mediterranean-Oriental Systemic network.

“Direct application and exploitation of waste energy from power plats in the greenhouse area of Ptolemaida-Greece”. Contract: municipality of Ptolemaida, District Heating Company of Ptolemaida.

FP7 REGPOT Project: GREEN-AgriChains Innovation Capacity Building by Strengthening Expertise and Research in the Design,Planning and Operations of Green Agrifood Supply Chains

 

 

LABORATORY EQUIPMENT

The laboratory with the Center of Agricultural Structures Control has a teaching room, a congress room, two workrooms, a library, three nearby greenhouses equipped with scientific instruments, three T cell of urban/industrial type for environmental control, a similar T cell of agricultural type, experimental installations for biofuel production (methane, biohydrogen) as well as a meteorological shelter in line with a data logger and PC for data storage and compilation.

 

The basic instruments used to collect experimental data are the following:

PLC with an extension channel box

18 temperature sensors Pt-100

9 RH-TEMPERATURE sensors hobo

Ultrasonic Wind sensor

Wind direction meter

Pyranometer class A

UPS Uninterrupted Power Supply PLC

UPS Uninterrupted Power Supply PC

Solar cells (PV)

Wind generator

Microvip 3.3-phase energy analyser

Portable PH /mV/oC-meter HI 8424

Portable EC-meter HI 8733

Electronic moisture-meter GANN H65

Portable infrared thermometer EXTECH

CO2 analyzer , Guardian 3000

Electronic microscope Olympus Bx51

Pollen trap Hirst Buckard

Data Logger CR10

Anaerobic system for methane and hydrogen production

Pilot scale anaerobic digester 600 l

Hydroponic cultivation system for greenhouses