Energy Efficiency of Glasshouses and Plant Factories for Sustainable Urban Farming in the Desert Southwest of the United States of America

Urban Farm DB summary

This review assesses how controlled-environment agriculture—controlled glasshouses and building-integrated plant factories—can be sustained in the desert southwest of the United States by evaluating their energy and water efficiency. It reports that roughly 50% of operational energy costs in controlled glasshouses go to cooling, while 25–30% of energy costs in building-integrated plant factories go to artificial lighting. It notes that aeroponic building-integrated plant factories showed superior water and energy efficiency, and that integrating photovoltaic solar energy can significantly reduce energy costs for urban farming.