Decarbonization and sustainability of solar PV panel-integrated greenhouses in challenging climates

Kuwait is known for its limited freshwater resources, as well as for its dry climate and extreme heat. This creates an enormous challenge for greenhouse development. The main objective of this work is to explore the energy performance of greenhouses which are equipped with solar photovoltaic (PV) panels installed at their rooftops under various climates, thus promoting sustainable greenhouse development in harsh weather climates. The environmental factors in Kuwait, India and Australia were incorporated in the simulations that were conducted using the commercial transient system simulation software (TRNSYS). Results indicated that the annual PV electricity generation didn’t vary across the three proposed climates. The optimal south-facing PV panel angles were found to be at latitude angles of 29.3°, 10.2° and 23.4° in Kuwait, South India and East Australia respectively. By using a number of 120 PV panels in each of the listed countries, the annual clean solar energy production resulted in energy saving percentages of 14.4%, 20.1% and 16.7% in Kuwait, India and Australia, respectively. Furthermore, it was noticed that the C O 2 production could be reduced in Kuwait by 4-7 million tons (MT), in India by 48-199 MT, and in Australia by 0.15-1.17 MT if PV panels are employed. The analysis of variance statistical test (ANOVA) was used to assess the impact of PV latitude angles and locations on the PV electricity production. All those findings highlight the potential of solar PV panel-integrated greenhouses in promoting a sustainable agriculture in regions that exhibit challenging climate conditions.