Energy and environmental benefits of applying a novel operating sequence in the conductive cooling system of dairy cattle – results following two summer seasons of operation

Responding to Europe’s escalating extreme summer heat, this study introduces a pioneering conductive cooling system for dairy cows, featuring a novel operational sequence. High environmental parameters causing heat stress severely threaten cattle welfare and incur significant economic losses, making effective cooling solutions crucial. Experiments were conducted on cows to test a new cyclical operation mode for the system, which consists of a chiller, a storage tank, circulation pumps, two heat exchangers and two water mattresses. The new cyclic mode includes operation breaks for the circulation pumps to reduce the electricity consumption. Analyzing daily energy consumption for selected days with a 13 °C daytime setpoint shows 19.07 kWh for continuous mode versus 11.72 kWh for cyclic mode. The study proposed 6 scenarios for long-term cooling system operation for improving the prototype cooling system. It justified the implementation of the novel system operation sequence, given that the greatest energy and CO₂ emission savings were achieved using the cyclic operation mode, which led to electricity saving of around 38 % over 5 months compared to the continuous mode. This study’s methodology holds high relevance, facilitating future analyses of renewable energy integration and promoting sustainable investments in next-generation, optimally managed cooling technologies.