Modelling of a novel Stand-Alone, Solar Driven Agriculture Greenhouse Integrated With Photo Voltaic /Thermal (PV/T) Panels

This is the author accepted manuscriptThis paper presents an analytical study of a new stand-alone agriculture greenhouse (GH) system. This system utilizes the excess solar radiation (more than that required by the plants for photosynthetic process) to generate electricity via a set of Photo Voltaic/Thermal (PV/T) units which are placed on the GH roof and south side. In addition to electricity generation, PV/Ts reduce the cooling load of the GH and help the system to be naturally ventilated. The system recovers the GH air humidity, including the plants transpiration, and uses it as irrigating water. Two coupled mathematical models are developed using MATLAB. The first model calculates the absorbed and transmitted solar radiation by/through each GH surface for a Clear Sky Day. The results of the first model are used as inputs to the second one that predicts the GH performance (GH surfaces and air temperatures, air relative humidity, air velocity, water production, electricity production and power consumption). These models are applied on climate conditions of Zagazig city, Sharqia, Egypt. The results show that the system presents a good solution for water shortage in Egypt as it has the ability to provide suitable climate conditions for plant growth (high quality and quantity) and produce enough water for irrigation purposes.British CouncilScience & Technology Development Fund (STDF), Egyp

Availability and Feasibility of Water Desalination as Non-conventional Resource for Agricultural Irrigation in the MENA Region: A review

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordMany countries in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) are facing water scarcity, which poses a great challenge to agricultural production. Furthermore, water scarcity is projected to increase due to climate change, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. The integration of solar power and water desalination systems in greenhouses to overcome water shortages is one of the preferred technologies in crop-growing areas. Crop growth control is done through sufficient management of environmental climatic variables as well as the quantity and quality of water and applied fertilisers with irrigation. Numerous crops such as cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, strawberries, flowers, and herbs can be grown under greenhouse conditions using desalinated water. This paper displays the state of the art in (i) solar-driven saltwater desalination to irrigate crops, (ii) the feasibility of water desalination for agriculture in the MENA region, (iii) the economics and environmental impacts of the desalination process, (iv) the quality of desalinated water compared with other non-conventional water resources and (v) recommendations for the future in the MENA region.Science, Technology, and Innovation Funding Authority (STIFA) of EgyptBritish Counci

A stand-alone Zero-Liquid-Discharge greenhouse model with rainwater harvesting capability

This is the author accepted manuscriptGlobal warming is a prevalent topic throughout the world. The IPCC predicts that the maximum potential global temperature increase will be 4.8 oC by 2100. It has been concluded that a temperature rise of 1.4 oC or higher will have statistically significant impacts on global precipitation levels. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the future trends of precipitation and subsequent irrigation methods. This study will discuss a new multi-functional zero liquid discharge (ZLD) system for a greenhouse, incorporating a humidification dehumidification (HDH) mechanism, solar still desalination and rainwater harvesting. The focus of this paper is on analysing the water production of the system. Although previous literature discusses the inefficiency of solar still (SS) desalination, the fresh water produced during similar experiments has shown otherwise, desalinating 0.95 L/m²/hr of saline water. Using multiple panels could therefore give a substantial output of distilled water for certain usage such as agriculture. Implementing solar stills of large surface area would also allow the collection of rainwater thus increasing the total water productivity of the system. The ZLD system aims to produce no waste product and use the output brine water for aquaculture and salt cultivation.British CouncilScience & Technology Development Fund (STDF), Egyp

A novel stand-alone solar-powered agriculture greenhouse-desalination system; increasing sustainability and efficiency of greenhouses

This is the author accepted manuscript.The countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are suffering from the scarcity of freshwater resources. With the economic development and population growth, planning the additional water supplies is critical for this region. Desalination of saline water is, therefore, considered as a strategic alternative water resources and technology to be adopted in MENA region. On the other hand, open field agriculture in such conditions is not economical particularly with high ambient temperature and solar intensity. Agriculture Greenhouses (GH) present a suitable alternative for different plants growth for the region’s desert. In most cases GHs can reduce about 90% of irrigating water demand compared open field. With the available high solar energy, integration of solar – GH – desalination presents a real challenge and is the field of newly funded N-M R&D proposal. This paper presents an integration of solar energy, agriculture GH and suitable desalination processes targeting the development and pilot testing of a novel stand-alone system that grows its energy and irrigation water demand.British CouncilScience & Technology Development Fund (STDF), Egyp

Analysing greenhouse ventilation using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from UKACM via the link in this recordGreenhouses (GH) are used to shield the crops from excessive cold or heat. They are used for growing certain types of cultivations during the year round. The aim of this study is to design a greenhouse using solar-powered technology to produce a Zero-Liquid-Discharge (ZLD) by using Solar Stills and adding condensers to dehumidify the excess vapoured water. This allows to have small-scale plants to reduce the cost of water treatment while increasing its sustainability. Computational fluid dynamics was used to find the best locations for the dehumidifiers in the GH and design the necessary ventilation. This can help to plan ahead and evaluate the optimal amount of produced water for different sizes of greenhouse before they are constructed physically.British Council - EgyptScience & Technology Development Fund (STDF), Egyp

Decarbonisation using hybrid energy solution: case study of Zagazig, Egypt

This is the final version. Available on open access from the publisher via the DOI in this record.In this study, an analysis is carried out to determine the optimal application of multiple renewable energy resources, namely wind and solar, to provide electricity requirements for green smart cities and environments. This was done to determine the potential of renewable energy to provide clean, economically viable energy for the case study of Zagazig, located at 30◦340 N 31◦300 E in the North East of Egypt. The relevant data surrounding the production of energy were collected, including the meteorological data from NASA, and specifications regarding renewable resources including solar panels, wind turbines, and storage batteries. Then a hybrid model was constructed consisting of Photovoltaics (PV) panels, wind turbines, a converter, and storage batteries. Once the model was constructed, meteorological data were added alongside average daily demand and cost of electricity per kWh. The optimal solution for Zagazig consisted of 181,000 kW of solar panels feeding directly into the grid. This system had the lowest Net Present Cost (NPC) of the simulations run of US$1,361,029,000 and a net reduction of 156,355 tonnes of CO2 per year.British CouncilScience, Technology, and Innovation Funding Authority (STIFA) of Egyp

Simulation of agriculture greenhouse integrated with on-roof Photo-Voltaic panels: case study for a winter day

This is the author accepted manuscript.This paper investigates analytical study for an agricultural greenhouse (GH) integrated with Photo Voltaic/Thermal (PV/T) units in its roof and south wall in addition to HumidificationDehumidification system (HDH). This system uses the extra solar radiation to generate electricity which is used in HDH system to condensate water recovered from plant transpiration and use it in irrigation. This system provides plants with a proper climate conditions and its requirements of solar radiation and water. MATLAB is used to develop a mathematical model based on energy equations to simulate the GH performance. The results predict that the system can be self-sufficient of energy and can provide proper conditions for the plant growth for the climate conditions of winter in Zagazig.British CouncilScience & Technology Development Fund (STDF), Egyp

Using sustainable energy technologies for desalination in the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries

This is the author accepted manuscript.This is the abstract of the paper to be presented at the Advances in Sustainable Energy and Fuels conference, 23-24 April 2020, New York, USABritish CouncilScience & Technology Development Fund (STDF), Egyp

Towards a sustainable greenhouse: Review of trends and emerging practices in analyzing greenhouse ventilation requirements to sustain maximum agricultural yield

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordCultivation in open fields mainly depends on the location and time of farming, which itself highly depends on the quality and quantity of water for irrigation, weather conditions and soil characteristics. Water resources are highly dependent on the limited freshwater resources from the groundwater system, or rainwater. Countries in MENA (Middle East and North Africa) rely mostly on desalination technologies for agriculture due to water scarcity. Therefore, greenhouse (GH) agriculture can be developed to succeed in dealing with the water scarcity and provide sufficient sources of agricultural products as a sustainable solution. These indoor agriculture facilities, which are enclosed by transparent covers, can produce different sources of fruits and vegetables, using a controlled amount of water. By reducing the exchange rate of air with the outside environment, which is known as the confinement effects, greenhouses generate a suitable environment for the plants to grow under transparent covers to trap the sunlight. This raises the inside temperature above the maximum threshold levels, especially within the warm season due to the high solar radiation intensity, having an adverse influence on the microclimate conditions and consequently the crop growth. In order to sustain maximum agricultural yield, greenhouse ventilation is an important parameter in which its trends and emerging practices were reviewed in this studyBritish Council - EgyptScience & Technology Development Fund (STDF) of Egyp

Analysing the material suitability and concentration ratio of a solar-powered parabolic trough collector (PTC) using Computational Fluid Dynamics

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordSolar-powered desalination is a sustainable solution for countries experiencing water scarcity. Several studies have presented different solutions to provide cleaner production in desalination systems. Parabolic trough collector (PTC) is one of these solutions that has proven to be superior among solar concentrators. Furthermore, a number of studies have investigated the use of PTC for distillation of saline water in response to water scarcity. In this study, a modified PTC model was developed, in which the heat exchanger was replaced by a condensation tube to reduce the energy consumption, and a black layer was introduced to the surface of the receiver to enhance its absorptance. As a reference case, the system productivity according to average solar intensities in Zagazig, located at 30°34′N 31°30′E in the North East of Egypt, is estimated. The results indicated that the maximum production rate that can be attained is 1.72 kg/hr. Then, the structure of the system is evaluated with the aid of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling, in order to enhance its productivity. Many materials are examined and the results recognised copper as the most suitable material amongst marine grade metals (i.e., aluminium, galvanised steel and stainless steel) to construct the receiver tube. This is due to its superior thermal performance, satisfactory corrosion resistance, and acceptable cost. Afterwards, the selected receiver tube was employed to identify the optimal Concentration Ratio (CR). Consequently, a CR of 90.56 was determined to be the optimum value for Zagazig and regions with similar solar radiation. As a result, the system’s productivity was enhanced drastically, as it was estimated that a maximum production rate of 6.93 kg/hr can be achieved.Science, Technology, and Innovation Funding. Authority (STIFA) of EgyptBritish Counci