Hybrid energy storage for dairy farms: Enhancing energy efficiency and operational resilience

Dairy farms are highly energy-intensive, with growing demands for cost-efficient and sustainable operations. The increasing use of renewable energy, such as solar and wind, introduces challenges due to their intermittent nature, requiring effective management strategies.This paper introduces a novel framework that integrates Distributionally Robust Optimization (DRO) with hybrid energy storage systems to optimize the complex operations of dairy farms, which are highly energy-intensive and sensitive to supply variability. Unlike conventional approaches, this research focuses on the intersection of dairy farm management and energy systems, addressing uncertainties in renewable energy generation, feed delivery, and operational costs. By leveraging hybrid energy storage, combining battery and thermal storage, the framework mitigates the challenges posed by the intermittent nature of solar and wind power, ensuring a stable energy supply. The incorporation of dynamic energy pricing and real-time adjustments enables cost reductions while maintaining operational efficiency. At the same time, advanced feed management strategies are integrated to optimize milk production, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability under uncertain conditions. The case study, based on synthesized data, demonstrates how the proposed approach significantly reduces energy costs, increases system resilience, and improves overall farm productivity. This research highlights the transformative potential of hybrid energy storage and DRO in revolutionizing dairy farm sustainability and operational resilience. • Introduces a novel DRO framework for optimizing energy in dairy farm operations. • Integrates hybrid energy storage to ensure stability amidst renewable energy variability. • Dynamic energy pricing and real-time adjustments reduce operational costs. • Optimizes feed management for enhanced milk production and animal welfare. • Proposes a scalable model applicable to various dairy farm sizes and types.