A Comparative Study on Different Energy Storage Scenarios in an Off-Grid Dark Vertical Greenhouse

This study evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of integrating solar photovoltaic systems with battery and hydrogen energy storage in an off-grid Energetic Dark Greenhouse to meet energy demands and promote agricultural sustainability. Five storage scenarios and system configurations, including lead-acid batteries and alkaline hydrogen fuel cells, were analyzed. The results indicated varying levels of energy supply reliability and differences in the levelized cost of energy, which ranged from <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\$ 0.02 / \text{kWh}$</tex> to <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\$ 0.05 / \text{kWh}$</tex> for photovoltaic systems with battery storage. The energy demand was calculated using experimental data and the simulations were conducted using PVsyst 7.4, TRNSYS 18.02 software. The study found that hydrogen alone could not fully meet energy requirements and was too costly to be employed. These findings highlight the potential of solar energy in reducing fossil fuel dependence and emissions in greenhouses while emphasizing the need to optimize battery systems and explore hybrid battery-hydrogen solutions for greater efficiency.