Sustainable production systems can help to reduce agricultural production impact, and also make farming systems less susceptible to climate changes. The worlds’ resources such as water, land, fertilizers and energy are becoming scarcer; especially in semi-arid and arid regions. The innovative technology must go beyond increasing yields but include developing appropriate production systems and strategies. Our research includes targeted applications with an off-grid low cost and easily deployable greenhouse crop production system for local, fresh, safer food production for growers located in remote locations, challenged regions, disastrous zones where an immediate access to resources for sustainable crop production is limited.
Our current research in the off-the-grid greenhouse system focuses on 1) Study technical and economical feasibility of an off-grid, low-cost controlled environment crop production system, 2) Determine resource usage/consumption (energy, water, fertilizer, labor) and production outputs (crop yield, energy production), 3) Evaluate effect of plants for the energy demand and dynamics of system, and 4) Determine limitations and capabilities of system and provide recommendations for stakeholders.
Our future directions and interest in alternative energy integrated sustainable greenhouse systems research program include: * Evaluating various transparent and selective PV panels and film as glazing on greenhouse structure, their effect on greenhouse microclimate, the crop, resource use efficiency, and energy conversion efficiencies, * Evaluate solar powered lower cost cooling and heating system alternatives, * Innovative integration of alternative energy systems and CEA technologies for improved resource use efficiency, * Resource re-cycling and re-use in CEA production systems.
