Sustainable energy management for indoor farming in hot desert climates

• Main Authors: Sanfilippo, Antonio, Kafi, Abdellah, Jovanovic, Raka, Shannak, Sa’d, Noormazlinah, Ahmad, Wanik, Zamri
• Format: Article
• Language: English; English
• Published: Elsevier 2024
• Subjects: TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery; TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/42666/1/Intro%20-%20Sustainable%20energy%20management%20for%20indoor%20farming%20in%20hot%20desert%20climates.pdf; http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/42666/2/Sustainable%20energy%20management%20for%20indoor%20farming%20in%20hot%20desert%20climates.pdf; http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/42666/; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2024.103958; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2024.103958

Achieving food self-sufficiency in hot desert climates requires year-round farming, which is challenging due to extreme weather, water scarcity, and limited arable land. Indoor soil-less farming can mitigate these issues by reducing land and water use but increases operational complexity and electricity needs for cooling, impacting economic sustainability. This paper presents a resource management system using Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) to simplify operations and optimize resources, alongside techno-economic analysis for economic viability. A case study on hydroponic tomato farming in hot deserts demonstrates that beyond a crop yield threshold (24.022 kg/m ), significantly more energy is required for marginal yield increases (e.g., 18% more electricity for a 0.35% yield increase). Despite higher energy use, the techno-economic analysis shows a net present value increase even with unsubsidized electricity. Thus, optimizing energy alongside water and nutrients is crucial for economic sustainability in indoor farming.