Use of Solar Photovoltaic Systems and Heat Pumps for Achieving Net-Zero Carbon Emission Greenhouses Due to Energy Use: A Case Study in Crete, Greece
Keywords:
agricultural greenhouses, carbon emissions, Crete-Greece, energy use, heat pumps, solar photovoltaicsAbstract
Renewable energies and low-carbon energy technologies have currently limited use in greenhouses. The use of sustainable energy technologies in many sectors, including agricultural greenhouses, is desirable and attractive for reducing the climate impacts of agriculture. Their maturity, reliability and cost-effectiveness has been proved and their use in many applications has been accelerated. Reports regarding net-zero energy and net-zero carbon emission greenhouses are limited so far. However, the global policies for climate change mitigation and creation of a net-zero carbon economy in the coming decades favors the use of benign energy sources replacing the polluting fossil fuels. The use of heat pumps and solar-PV systems for energy generation covering the needs for heat, cooling and electricity in an existing greenhouse located in Crete, Greece has been investigated. The combined use of these green energy technologies can eliminate the use of fossil fuels resulting in a net-zero carbon-emissions greenhouse. The size of the greenhouse studied was 3,300 m2, the nominal power of the solar-PV system generating all the required electricity was estimated at 254.23 KWel and its installation cost at 233,052 €. A heat pump with COP equal to 3 and power at 254.23 KWel can cover all the peak heat and cooling demand of the greenhouse while its installation cost is at 1,144,035 €. The total installation cost of the abovementioned benign energy systems is at 417.30 €/m2. Our research indicates that sustainable energy technologies can generate all the required energy in agricultural greenhouses zeroing their net-carbon emissions and promoting the carbon neutral agriculture.
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