Possibilities for the application of solar energy in the European Community agriculture

Abstract In this paper are described the methodology followed and the main results of a study performed under contract for the Commission of the European Communities. Its aims were to collect energy consumption data in European Community agriculture broken down by regions and final uses, to perform a state of the art of the solar energy systems that have been tried in agriculture, to analyze the variables and barries that influence the development of solar energy systems in agriculture and to provide a general assessment for each region regarding the various possible solutions for each agricultural application. Our study was limited to thermal forms of energy consumptions and the sectors analyzed were: rural houses (space heating and hot water production), shelter heating, hot water production for animal husbandry, greenhouse heating and crop drying. In any of the sectors we give an assessment on the possibilities of penetration of solar technologies in European Community countries.