Performing Department
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Non Technical Summary
The Food and Agriculture of the UN underlines three pillars of sustainability that need to be considered while implementing innovations, and clean energy, in agricultural machinery: social, economic, and environmental aspects.Intellectual Merit: The project aims to implement a cohesive methodology and strategy to assess the societal implications of introducing and easing the acceptance of clean energy tractors by engaging all potential parties.Broader Impact: The project results will have multiple societal benefits at large: (1) reduction of GHG and its effects on humanity. (2) better understand clean energy-powered tractors and find appropriate incentives to invest in new tractors. (3) recommendations for policymakers for introducing clean energy tractors for farming.
Animal Health Component
10%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
70%
Applied
10%
Developmental
20%
Goals / Objectives
The goal is to implement a cohesive methodology and strategy to assess the societal implications of introducing and easing the acceptance of clean energy tractors by engaging all potential interested parties from the beginning of the innovation processes while considering social, cultural, economic, legal, educational, and environmental aspects.Obj.1: Execute a comprehensive approach to collecting quantitative and qualitative feedback from producers, industry specialists, and consumers, regarding clean energy-powered tractors to assess the overall societal, cultural, environmental, and economic implications of such tractors in both the short and long-term using participatory impact assessment diagrams and charts.Obj.2: Develop online and mobile simulation applications to demonstrate estimated tractor performances, fuel consumptions (costs), and emissions to compare diesel vs. different clean energy-powered tractors which can be used for education and outreach to project stakeholders.Obj.3: Develop recommendations for policymakers on how to provide pathways for introducing clean energy tractors for farming.
Project Methods
Approach 1.Assessment of Social, Cultural, and Societal Implications of Clean Energy Tractor UtilizationPerform interviews and surveys of producersAssess industry development trendsPerform statistical data analysisDevelop AI machine learning algorithms-based models to analyze and process the collected survey and interview data.Approach 2: Develop online and mobile tractor simulation applications and educational workshops and materialsDevelop computer simulation models of tractor engine tests with different fuels and electric powertrainsDeveloponline and mobile applicationsOrganise workshops and seminarsDevelop educational materialsApproach 3: Implement and validateCross-validate the developed simulation models with laboratory test data.All the collected survey and interview data for validation and further improvement of the developed machine learning modelsKey research outcomes on the social implications of clean energy tractors to public policymakers