uly 2024 | Energy Strategy Reviews | Volume 54
Introduction: Greenhouse farming can support stable crop production under controlled conditions, but maintaining suitable temperatures can require substantial energy for heating and cooling. This creates challenges for regions seeking to expand greenhouse agriculture while reducing fossil-fuel dependence and improving climate resilience. Focusing on Nigeria, this study evaluated greenhouse energy demand under different regional climatic conditions and explored how hybrid renewable energy systems combining solar PV(solar photovoltaic), wind turbines, and energy storage could meet these needs. The researchers also applied the Teaching–Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO) algorithm to identify technically reliable and economically suitable system configurations for greenhouse operations.
Key findings: Greenhouse energy requirements varied considerably across Nigeria because of differences in temperature and solar radiation, with cooling demand playing a particularly important role in the country's warm climate. The study found that solar PV combined with energy storage (PV–ESS) was generally the most attractive configuration across the evaluated regions because Nigeria's abundant solar resources reduced storage requirements and system costs. The estimated levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for PV–ESS ranged from approximately US$0.073/kWh in Kano to US$0.853/kWh in Adamawa, illustrating the importance of location-specific renewable resources and energy demand. The TLBO optimization algorithm helped minimize net present cost while maintaining reliable energy supply. Overall, the study suggests that appropriately designed renewable-energy microgrids could reduce greenhouse farming's reliance on conventional energy while supporting more climate-resilient agricultural production.
Figure | External view of (a) greenhouse, (b) heat pumps, and (c) water storage tank.
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Content adapted from Yakub et al. | Image reproduced from Yakub et al.
