Integrating Digital Twins and MPC for Sustainable Greenhouse Management in Smart Agriculture

This article introduces a digital twin framework for greenhouse climate management, utilizing model predictive control (MPC) to enhance smart farming practices and tackle the challenge of maintaining optimal conditions in diverse weather scenarios. The proposed MPC integrates dynamic system modeling, predictive control, and constraint management to regulate critical variables such as ambient temperature, solar radiation, and airflow. To validate the control framework, historical meteorological data from the city of Savona are used for four seasonal scenarios: winter, spring, summer, and autumn. The main contributions include designing and tuning the MPC, applying soft constraints via equal concern for relaxation for feasibility, and implementing scaling factors to ensure numerical stability. Simulation results demonstrate the controller’s ability to maintain desired climatic conditions while meeting physical and operational constraints. This work highlights the potential of combining digital twin technology with advanced control systems to support sustainable and efficient smart farming.