Integrating renewable energy technologies into seawater greenhouses for sustainable water and food production

• SWGHs integrate renewable energy for water–food–energy co-production. • Renewable energy technologies enable efficient desalination and climate control. • Hybrid SWGHs achieve high freshwater yield at low energy intensity. • Economic analysis shows reduced LWC and improved payback periods. • Case studies show scalable, climate-resilient models for arid regions. This study critically reviews the integration of renewable energy technologies into Seawater Greenhouses (SWGHs). It presents a sustainable pathway to address water scarcity, food insecurity, and climate change in arid regions. SWGHs employ evaporation–condensation processes to desalinate seawater. They also maintain controlled microclimates for agriculture. The review focuses on core technologies such as concentrated solar power (CSP), concentrated photovoltaics (CPV), and photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) systems. These enable multifunctional platforms for co-generating food, water, and energy within the Water–Energy–Food nexus. Key findings include PVT systems achieving combined efficiencies of 60–80% for electricity and low-grade heat. CPV reaches electrical efficiencies of 40–45%, enhancing land-use productivity through dual power and heat recovery. At commercial scale, Sundrop Farms in Australia integrates CSP and desalination to grow 15,000 tons of tomatoes annually using 100% renewable freshwater. This reduces consumption by over 80% compared to conventional farming. Unlike conventional systems, renewable-powered SWGHs operate off-grid with modular designs. They maximize circular resource use. The novelty lies in synthesizing techno-economic, environmental, and scalability aspects. It incorporates innovations like AI-driven optimization, thermal energy storage (TES), and hybrid configurations for round-the-clock operation. Collectively, these demonstrate scalable, climate-resilient models for arid and coastal regions. Main challenges include high capital costs, site-specific limitations, and the need for supportive policies to accelerate deployment.