The consortium, which consists of a knowledge institution and nine SMEs, is realising a series of coherent innovations in agricultural machinery.
The innovation targets:
1 Energy transition by deploying hydrogen
2 Adaptation to climate change and consequences of war
3 Improvement of precision and efficiency in agricultural machinery
4 Minimising emissions in arable farming
5 Strengthening the economic position of agriculture and mechanisation.
Along the various operations – soil preparation, seedbed preparation, sowing & planting, fertilisation, irrigation, weed control, harvesting – 12 innovations are being developed and piloted. The central issue is the consistent reduction of energy requirements through lightweight designs and highly efficient electric drives, which are powered by hydrogen from CO2-free sources on the farm, e.g. wind or solar energy. The drives are based on precision technology with sensors and smart controls, whereby machines are controlled as efficiently as possible with own and foreign data.
Pilots:
-hydrogen fuelling station with smart production from renewable farm power (WP Hydrogen Production, TRL 6=>7)
-hydrogen powertrains with a module for a tractor, soil drill, burner, two precision harvesting machines and a planting machine (WP Hydrogen-powered machines, TRL 5=>7)
-smart spading machine and cultivator (WP Tillage machines TRL 6=>7)
-solar drip irrigation system with compostable hoses (WP Crop care TRL 4=>7)
-hydrogen burner (WP Crop care TRL 4=>7)
-data system (WP Data TRL 5=>7)
The innovations are developed scientifically and across borders and tested on own fields.
