Development and implementation of a hybrid renewable energy system in a pilot cheese production facility in Beja, Portugal

Authors

  • João Garcia Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL), 1959-007 Lisbon, Portugal; Unidade de Investigação em Redes Elétricas (UnIRE), Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL), Polytechnic University of Lisbon,1959-007 Lisbon, Portugal; Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE-IPS), Escola Superior de Tecnologia, Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Campus do IPS–Estefanilha, 2910-761 Setúbal, Portugal
  • Arian Semedo Unidade de Investigação em Redes Elétricas (UnIRE), Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL), Polytechnic University of Lisbon,1959-007 Lisbon, Portugal; Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (DEMI), Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologias, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0797-3429
  • Francisco Calvo Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL), 1959-007 Lisbon, Portugal
  • João Dias Polytechnic Institute of Beja, 7800-295 Beja, Portugal; Geobiosciences, Geobiotechnologies and Geoengineering (GeoBioTec), Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologias, Universidade Nova de Lisboa,2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development (MED), University of Évora, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal; Global Change and Sustainability Institute (CHANGE), University of Évora, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
Article ID: 713
158 Views

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18686/cest713

Keywords:

hybrid renewable energy system; pilot plant; cheese production; energy efficiency; sustainable agro-food processing

Abstract

The increasing demand for renewable energies, encouraged by the European Union (EU), aims to position Europe as a leader in clean energy production while reducing its carbon footprint. The application of renewable energy in industry is crucial, given the high energy consumption associated with it, particularly in the production and preservation of food. This article presents the development and implementation of an integrated energy system applied to the production and ripening of traditional Alentejo cheese. During the production phase, which includes pasteurization and coagulation processes that rely on hot water, heating is provided by a pellet boiler, capable of using alternative biofuels, and by solar thermal collectors. For the curing of cheese, conducted in a refrigerated chamber with humidity control, a refrigeration system using R744 (carbon dioxide) was considered, complemented by a heat exchanger to assist in water heating. The electrical supply is ensured by photovoltaic (PV) panels, a wind turbine, and batteries, allowing for storage and energy autonomy during periods without production. The electrical supply is ensured by PV panels, a wind turbine, and batteries, allowing for storage and energy autonomy during periods without production. Monthly analysis indicates that photovoltaic energy is the dominant source, supplying 3,391 kWh annually and covering, on average, 87% of the monthly demand. The system also integrates passive heating technologies and phase change materials (PCM) with the aim of optimizing performance and reducing equipment operating hours. Upon completion of the installation, it will be possible to evaluate cheese production under real conditions and collect data on thermal and electrical consumption, allowing for future system optimization.

Downloads

Published

2026-05-12

How to Cite

Garcia, J., Semedo, A., Calvo, F., & Dias, J. (2026). Development and implementation of a hybrid renewable energy system in a pilot cheese production facility in Beja, Portugal . Clean Energy Science and Technology, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.18686/cest713

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 3 (2026): In progress

Section

Article

License

Copyright (c) 2026 João Garcia, Arian Semedo, Francisco Calvo, João Dias

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

1. European Union. Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the Promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources and Amending and Subsequently Repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC (Text with EEA Relevance). Official Journal of the European Union; 2009. pp. 16–62. Available online: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2009/28/oj

2. European Environment Agency. European Environment Agency Environmental Statement 2024: EEA Corporate Report. European Environment Agency; 2025. doi: 10.2800/3308603

3. Europen Environment Agency. Europe′s Environment 2025: Knowledge for Resilience, Prosperity and Sustainability. European Environment Agency; 2025. doi: 10.2800/3817344

4. Eurostat. Share of Energy from Renewable Sources. Eurostat; 2025. doi: 10.2908/NRG_IND_REN

5. Garcia J, Cerdeira R, Coelho L, et al. Influence of pedestrian trajectories on school children exposure to PM10. Journal of Nanomaterials. 2014; 2014(1): 505649. doi: 10.1155/2014/505649 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/505649

6. Martinho VJP. The evolution of the milk sector in Portugal: Implications from the Common Agricultural Policy. Open Agriculture. 2020; 5: 582–592. doi: 10.1515/opag-2020-0061 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/opag-2020-0061

7. Nunes ÓS, Gaspar PD, Nunes J, et al. Life‑cycle assessment of dairy products—Case study of regional cheese produced in Portugal. Processes. 2020; 8(9): 1182. doi: 10.3390/pr8091182 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8091182

8. Alvarenga N, Martins J, Caeiro J, et al. Applying computational fluid dynamics in the development of smart ripening rooms for traditional cheeses. Foods. 2021; 10(8): 1716. doi: 10.3390/foods10081716 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10081716

9. Wojdalski J, Ligenza P, Postuła M, et al. Determinants of energy consumption in the dairy industry. Ochrona Środowiska i Zasobów Naturalnych. 2023; 34(4): 69–91. doi: 10.2478/oszn-2023-0017 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/oszn-2023-0017

10. Corigliano O, Algieri A. A comprehensive investigation on energy consumptions, impacts, and challenges of the food industry. Energy Conversion and Management: X. 2024; 23: 100661. doi: 10.1016/j.ecmx.2024.100661 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecmx.2024.100661

11. Gosalvitr P, Cuellar-Franca R, Smith R, et al. Energy demand and carbon footprint of cheddar cheese. Energy Procedia. 2019; 161: 10–16. doi: 10.1016/j.egypro.2019.02.052 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2019.02.052

12. Gonçalves ACR. Characterization of the Goat Cheese Production Process at the Melgaço Dairy [Master’s thesis]. Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo; 2019. (in Portuguese)

13. Myer K (editor). Handbook of Farm, Dairy and Food Machinery Engineering. Elsevier; 2013. doi: 10.1016/C2010-0-67839-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/C2010-0-67839-4

14. Nunes ÓS. Life Cycle Analysis of Dairy Products: A Case Study of Beira Baixa Cheese [Master’s thesis]. Universidade da Beira Interior; 2018. Available online: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/10006 (in Portuguese)

15. Nunes J, Silva PD, Andrade LP, et al. Energy efficiency in Portuguese traditional cheese industries: A comprehensive case study. Energies. 2025; 18(3): 562. doi: 10.3390/en18030562 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en18030562

16. Fox PF, Cogan TM, Guinee TP, et al. Fundamentals of Cheese Science, 2nd ed. Springer; 2017. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4899-7681-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7681-9

17. Ciupek B, Frąckowiak A. Review of Thermal Calculation Methods for Boilers—Perspectives on Thermal Optimization for Improving Ecological Parameters. Energies. 2024; 17(24): 6380. doi: 10.3390/en17246380 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en17246380

18. Talavyria M, Furman I, Alexandrov D, et al. Assessment of Agricultural Biomass Potential in Sustainable Biofuel Production. Economics Ecology Socium. 2025; 9(2): 109–123. doi: 10.61954/2616-7107/2025.9.2-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.61954/2616-7107/2025.9.2-8

19. Farwati MA. Efficient Model for Solar Steam Generation with Solar Fraction Analysis. Journal of Renewable Energies. 2023; 26(2): 189–207. Available online: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378094898_Efficient_model_for_solar_steam_generation DOI: https://doi.org/10.54966/jreen.v26i2.1151

20. Garcia J, Semedo A. Sustainable CO₂ refrigeration system for fish cold storage facility using a renewable integrated system with solar, wind and tidal energy for Cape Verde—Analyzing scenarios. Sustainability. 2024; 16(10): 4259. doi: 10.3390/su16104259 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16104259

21. Costa NR, Garcia J. Applying design of experiments to a compression refrigeration cycle. Cogent Engineering. 2015; 2(1): 992216. doi: 10.1080/23311916.2014.992216 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2014.992216

22. Guven C, Yuan H, Zhang Q, et al. When does daylight saving time save electricity? Weather and air-conditioning. Energy Economics. 2021; 98: 105216. doi: 10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105216 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105216

23. Nagavani C, Deepika T, Maria ASW, et al. Dehydration of Food Materials using Solar Dryer with Mobile App Integration. Journal of Electrical Engineering and Automation. 2024; 6(1): 72–81. doi 10.36548/jeea.2024.1.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36548/jeea.2024.1.006

24. Solankı A, Pal Y. A comprehensive review to study and implement solar energy in dairy industries. Journal of Thermal Engineering. 2021; 7(5): 1216–1238. doi: 10.18186/thermal.978029 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18186/thermal.978029

25. Fidalgo JNM, Ferreira J, Leitão S. The impact of daylight saving time on energy consumption: A comprehensive analysis across European countries. SSRN Preprint. 2025. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.5811703 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5811703

26. Dias, D., Tchepel, O. Spatial and temporal dynamics in air pollution exposure assessment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018; 15(3): 558. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15030558 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15030558