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School of Agriculture

Faculty of Agriculture Forestry and Natural Environment

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Laboratory of : Alternative Energy Sources in Agriculture

Year of Endorsement:

2000

 

 

Number of Endorsement’s Act/Government’s Gazette Number (FEK):

FEK: 234/2000

 

Address / Communication:

Agricultural Construction Control Center Building, AUTH. Farm, Thermi, 57001

e-mail: ifotidi@agro.auth.gr

Tel.: +30 2310 991747

 

Members – Teaching Staff

Ioannis Fotidis, Assistant Professor, Head of the Laboratory of Alternative Energy Sources in Agriculture

e-mail: ifotidi@agro.auth.gr

Tel.: +30 2310 991747

Ioannis Fotidis is an Assistant Professor in the School of Agriculture in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Head of the Laboratory of Alternative Energy Sources in Agriculture. He has been an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering in the Technical University of Denmark, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences in Tampere University, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environment in the Ionian University and a Visiting Professor at the School of Civil Engineering in the Southeast University of China. He received his PhD diploma in Agricultural Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece). His research interests focus on agro-industrial waste management, wastewater treatment, bioenergy, biotechnology, bioeconomy, biorefineries, anaerobic microbial ecology, biomethanation inhibitors and optimisation of the anaerobic digestion. He studies the development of sustainable solutions for efficient co-digestion processes of different residual resources and wastewaters. Finally, he has participated in national (e.g., H.F.R.I., Energinet.dk, The Danish Council for Independent Research) and international (e.g., Seven Framework Program, Interreg IV) funded scientific projects.

 

 

 

Emeritus and retired professors

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

 

 

Collaborating Scientists

Thomas Kotsopoulos is a professor at the Department of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and Director of the Department of Agricultural Structures & Equipment. He holds a degree in Agricultural Science and a Diploma in Civil Engineering with a Master and PhD in Agricultural Engineering with emphasis on biogas production. He is Vice President of the International Relations Committee of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Vice President of the Interdisciplinary Agrifood center (KEAGRO) of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and has served as President of the Hellenic Society of Agricultural Engineers (HelAgEng). He has evaluated numerous research proposals both at national and European level and participated as an external reviewer in PhD theses in Denmark and Australia. He has received European and National competitive funding for his research activity and is/was scientific supervisor in numerous European and National Competitive research Programs. His current research interests focus on greenhouses, livestock structures, animal waste management and biogas production (utilization of agricultural waste), for which he has received funding.

Vassilios Firfiris is a Mechanical Engineer of the Polytechnic school (Faculty of Engineering) of AUTH and holds a MSc and PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the Department of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, specializing in energy saving and the use of Renewable Energy sources in agricultural applications. His research activity focuses on the design of energy systems in agricultural applications, such as greenhouses, livestock buildings, cooling chambers, drying applications etc. where he has numerous publications. Besides the technical design of the systems he is also involved in the environmental and economic evaluation of the above mentioned applications.

Antonios Lithourgidis has a diploma in Civil Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, specializing in the Department of Hydraulics and Environmental Engineering. In addition, he holds a PhD at the Department of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and his research area is the production of biogas from livestock waste and the reduction of energy requirements of livestock buildings. He studies the achievement of bioclimatic energy-saving design for the development of a “green” livestock production with minimized inputs and carbon footprint, by optimizing energy recovery from animal waste (biogas), as well as the combined use of other alternatives. He has gained research experience and is involved in European and Greek research projects on biogas. In addition, he worked abroad (DTU University – Denmark) in a research project on the upgrading of biogas to biomethane with parallel production of bio-succinic acid in laboratory and pilot scale for subsequent application in an industrial plant in Valencia (Spain).

Christos Tzenos holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Polytechnic School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with a Master’s degree in Agricultural Engineering with emphasis on the influence of hydraulic and microbiological parameters, such as ammonia toxicity, hydraulic retention time and organic loading rate, on biomethane production. He is a PhD candidate at the Department of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), where his research is focused on the effect of inorganic additives and biocarriers on anaerobic digestion. His current scientific interests include livestock, agricultural and municipal waste management and biogas production.

Athina Tsitsimpikou is a graduate of the Department of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with a degree in the field of Soil Improvement, Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering. The State Scholarship Foundation awarded her an Award of Excellence upon her graduation from the aforementioned school due to the highest marks she received in her academic graduation year. During her undergraduate studies she majored in biogas production from agro-industrial waste. She is currently a PhD candidate at the Department of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The field of her research is the optimization of biogas production through the use of mathematical models and artificial intelligence techniques. She has research experience gained during her participation in national and international projects on biogas production. The development of techniques, predictive models and control systems for anaerobic digestion in full-scale reactors – biogas plants, are among her research interests.

Dimitra Pitsikoglou is a graduate of the Department of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with direction in the field of Agricultural Improvement, Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering. She holds a Master’s degree in the field of Agricultural engineering with emphasis on the effect of the use of biofertilisers on production and the biogas production in continuous reactors. She is a PhD candidate in Department of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), with her research topic is the utilization of agro-food and livestock production in the field of biogas and specifically the optimization of biogas production.

 

 

Research Field

Utilization of renewable energy resources in agriculture, Energy production from agricultural facilities, energy saving in agricultural facilities

 

History

The Laboratory of Alternative Energy Resources in Agriculture has been operating as an independent Laboratory since 2000 (FEK234/2000, vol. A). Part of the laboratory’s subjects were included in the Agricultural Mechanics Laboratory of the School of Agriculture, from where they were detached. The laboratory is housed in the building of the Agricultural Constructions Control Center on the AUTh farm. During its operation, it developed educational activity with independent courses, as well as research work in the scientific areas in which it is active. Today, it is staffed by a faculty member and is supported by undergraduate and graduate students, as well as post-doctoral fellows in the context of their studies at the Department of Agriculture.

The Laboratory’s research activities are housed in suitably designed buildings at the Farm of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Thermi. The members of the Laboratory have participated and are participating in various research programs that have been funded, e.g. by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology, the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, the European Union, various public and private bodies and collaborate with other European and International Institutions.

 

Teaching Activities

The members of the Laboratory of Alternative Energy Resources in Agriculture participate in the teaching of six (6) undergraduate courses (N053E Agricultural Constructions, N202Y Greenhouses, N208Y Alternative Energy Sources in Agriculture, N227E Agricultural Wastewater Management, Livestock Equipment, N238E Mechanical Harvesting of Agricultural Products) of the Department of Agriculture and six (6) postgraduate courses in the Master’s Degree Program “Management of Soil, Water, Energy Resources and Rural Environment” (NDEEP117 Utilization of Agricultural Wastes and By-products with the Use of Biotechnology, NDEEP118 Design of Renewable Energy Sources Systems, NDEEP101 Controlled Environment Systems, NDEEP104 Research Methodology 1, NDEEP106 Research Methodology 2, NDEEP124 Special Topics in Soil Science, Water and Energy Resources in Agriculture) of the Department of Agriculture.

 

Research Activities

  • Energy production from alternative energy sources
    • Electricity production using photovoltaic and wind systems.
    • Biofuel production (biogas, bioethanol, biodiesel). Use of biomass for cogeneration.
  • Utilization of renewable energy resources in agriculture
    • Use of geothermal energy in heating greenhouses and agricultural structures.
    • Use of solar energy in heating agricultural structures. Technical and economic evaluation of solar passive and hybrid technologies for heating and cooling livestock facilities.
  • Energy saving in agricultural facilities
    • Energy saving using passive solar systems.
    • Energy saving with shallow geothermal system, Heat pumps.

 

Facilities and Equipment

The laboratory makes use of the classroom, conference room, two laboratory rooms, library as well as basic laboratory equipment for its research activities.

Conference and teaching room

 

Recent Research Projects

  • ALIVE (Participant). Strengthening the industrial symbiosis in the value chain of anaerobic digestion Strategy for Excellence in Universities & Innovation (ID 16289) – SUB1.1. Clusters of Research and Excellence, National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. (Implementation Body: ΕΔ ΕΣΠΑ ΥΠΑΙΘΑ, Project Number: ΥΠ3ΤΑ-0560157).
  • MicroPower (PI). Bioaugmentation of specialized microbial consortia to optimize the overall anaerobic digestion process, Basic Research Financing Action (Horizontal support of all Sciences),Sub-action 1. Funding New Researchers, Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (no. 15547).
  • Advisory and scientific support to the Municipality of Ptolemaida in the project of Implementation of Post-Heating and utilization of the greenhouse installation zone (ZETH) of Ptolemaida
  • Creation of a joint postgraduate educational curriculum for graduates of geotechnical and polytechnic schools Subproject 1

 

Recent Theses

PhD Theses:

 

MSc Theses:

  • Tsimas Marios 2025. “Optimization of the anaerobic digestion process in substrates with high ammonia concentration”.
  • Moschou Evangelia 2026. “Standard process for anaerobic degradation of problematic forms of biomass, rich in lignocellulose and ammonia”.

 

Diploma Theses:

 

Information