Electrification of the agricultural sector in Norway in an effort to phase out fossil fuel consumption

The Norwegian Agrarian Association has the ambition to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 4–6 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2-eq) by 2030 in the agricultural sector. As a part of this, 10–25% is expected to come from substituting fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. This paper focuses on the effects of phasing-out fossil fuel consumption in on-field tractor operations with electrification by introducing battery-electric and/or fuel cell tractors and on-site renewable energy generation and storage. The results show that electrification of on-field tractor operations can be a techno-economically feasible pathway to reduce tractor energy-use-related CO2 emissions in the agricultural sector. Annual CO2 emissions are observed to reduce by 69% in 2030 and 97% in 2050. However, the CO2 reduction potential can vary significantly based on the farm type. In this regard, the analysis revealed high sensitivity to manufacturing costs of zero-emission tractors (ZETs), which in combination with a low utilization rate can render the investment to ZETs unprofitable. Moreover, electrification increases electricity consumption, especially peak electricity demand in the agricultural sector. This effect can be reduced with on-site renewable energy generation and energy storage systems.