Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS
410 MRAK HALL
DAVIS,CA 95616-8671
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Greenhouse crop production has attracted more people recently as a climate-smart solution for growing year-round. However, addressing the challenges associated with high energy and relatively more water consumption is essential, especially in greenhouses in the Mediterranean and arid regions where overheating during the lengthy summer months is a significant issue. Managing energy costs for indoor climate control is the second-largest operational expense, and excessive heat can detrimentally affect crop yields and overall production quality. This project sets out to explore the potential of utilizing climate-smart retractable photovoltaic screens (RPVS) to enhance the functionality of greenhouses in the context of the food-energy-water (FEW) nexus. Our primary goal is to investigate how optimized RPVS with automated control systems can synergistically reduce energy and water demands while maximizing power conversion efficiency (PCE) without compromising crop yields. The specific activities are to (1) develop a digital twin model and optimize the RPVS for greenhouses., (2) design pilot testbeds and investigate the PCE and the crop (lettuce and tomato) performance in terms of their biotic and abiotic stress and resource (water, energy, nutrient) usages, (3) study the techno-economic feasibility analysis and life-cycle assessment (LCA) for analyzing the potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and (4) develop educational and outreach programs for the dissemination of the proposed technology among stakeholders. The project's long-term goal is to provide a climate-smart solution for achieving the ultimate target of net-zero food production with reduced energy and water demand and clean power generation.
Animal Health Component
60%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
60%
Developmental
20%
Goals / Objectives
Greenhouse crop production has attracted more people recently as a climate-smart solution for growing year-round. However, addressing the challenges associated with high energy and relatively more water consumption is essential, especially in greenhouses in the Mediterranean and arid regions where overheating during the lengthy summer months is a significant issue. Managing energy costs for indoor climate control is the second-largest operational expense, and excessive heat can detrimentally affect crop yields and overall production quality. This project explores the potential of utilizing climate-smart retractable photovoltaic screens (RPVS) to enhance the functionality of greenhouses in the context of the food-energy-water (FEW) nexus. Our primary goal is to investigate how optimized RPVS with automated control systems can synergistically reduce energy and water demands while maximizing power conversion efficiency (PCE) without compromising crop yields. The long-term goal of this project is to provide climate-smart solutions with RPVS to increase the economic and environmental sustainability of greenhouse production. We aim to provide sustainable solutions to the greenhouse industry by equipping it with the necessary tools and foundational knowledge to optimize power generation and enhance crop performance with RPVS. The short-term and mid-term goals are to generate a new understanding of optimizing the benefits of greenhouse operations and develop modeling and optimization tools for future research and development. The following are the objectives to achieve the goal of the project: Objective 1: Digital twin model and optimization of the RPVS for greenhouses.Objective 2: Design a pilot test-bed and performance evaluation to understand the impacts of RPVS. Objective 3: Study the techno-economic feasibility and environmental impact. Objective 4: Extension and outreach for dissemination of research outcomes.
Project Methods
?The pivotal outcomes of the proposed project will establish the groundwork for a novel approach to designing, optimizing, controlling, and potentially implementing the climate-smart agrivoltaics concept within greenhouse applications, supported by practical outreach activities. The following specific activities/objectives outline our strategic approach to achieving the long-term, medium-term, and short-term goals of the proposed project:Activity 1: Develop a digital twin model for optimization and understanding plant biotic and abiotic stress: The team will develop a digital twin model combining the multi-physics-based light scattering and greenhouse thermal model integrated with a crop model for performance evaluation and optimization. The model will be validated using the data from pilot testing; the synthetic data from the digital twin model (Activity 1) will support the data needs for Activity 3.Activity 2: Test-bed design and testing with optimized design: We will design the pilot-test bed with the optimized design configuration (Activity 1) for climate-smart operation. We will develop machine learning-based control algorithms to optimize the power generation and transmission of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). The team will analyze the plant performance regarding photosynthesis rate, crop growth, and potential energy, water, and nutrient savings. We hypothesize that integrating climate-smart RPVS will accelerate resource use efficiency (energy, water, and nutrients) without or with minimal impact on yield and quality.Activity 3: Techno-economic performance and environmental impacts study: We will conduct an economic feasibility analysis of this novel concept for greenhouse with lettuce and tomato production and also perform a life-cycle analysis (LCA) to understand the potential of reducing carbon emissions and other environmental benefits compared with existing practices. This activity will use the data from activities 1 and 2 and support disseminating the proposed solutions among greenhouse growers.Activity 4: Education and outreach: The team will collaborate with our partners and other related stakeholders for various outreach activities, including field days, extension articles, publications, and workshops/webinars. The data from Activities 1, 2, and 3 will support the outreach activities outlined in this project.