Development of a Tool for Optimizing Solar and Battery Storage for Container Farming in a Remote Arctic Microgrid

Abstract

High transportation costs make energy and food expensive in remote communities worldwide, especially in high-latitude Arctic climates. Past attempts to grow food indoors in these remote areas have proven uneconomical due to the need for expensive imported diesel for heating and electricity. This study aims to determine whether solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity can be used affordably to power container farms integrated with a remote Arctic community microgrid. A mixed-integer linear optimization model (FEWMORE: Food–Energy–Water Microgrid Optimization with Renewable Energy) has been developed to minimize the capital and maintenance costs of installing solar photovoltaics (PV) plus electricity storage and the operational costs of purchasing electricity from the community microgrid to power a container farm. FEWMORE expands upon previous models by simulating demand-side management of container farm loads. Its results are compared with those of another model (HOMER) for a test case. FEWMORE determined that 17 kW of solar PV was optimal to power the farm loads, resulting in a total annual cost decline of ~14% compared with a container farm currently operating in the Yukon. Managing specific loads appropriately can reduce total costs by ~18%. Thus, even in an Arctic climate, where the solar PV system supplies only ~7% of total load during the winter and ~25% of the load during the entire year, investing in solar PV reduces costs.

Controlled environment agriculture and containerized food production in northern North America

“…The need for energy for heat and power is large in CFPS and greenhouses (Sambor et al, 2020). Given the current energy demands and issues in the north associated with so many remote communities being reliant on diesel generators, adding yet another energy burden to some communities may prove to be a significant barrier to successful adoption (Cherniak et al, 2015).…”

“…When the life cycle assessment (production, processing, distribution, and consumption) is considered, and when the sustainability of local production is compared to that of food imported from industrial operations, the entire life cycle of the food must be considered (Edwards-Jones et al, 2008). So far the general consensus is that sustainable food production systems are variable, but most effective when designed in placebased and culturally situated ways (Edwards-Jones et al, 2008;Gómez et al, 2019;Sambor et al, 2020).…”

“…In this experiment, a CFPS has been installed off-grid with solar energy and a battery bank for energy storage, with backup diesel power (Allford, 2017). The integration with renewable energy sources will help reduce power costs for the system, reduce overall diesel reliance, and improve the sustainability of CFPS (Cherniak et al, 2015;Sambor et al, 2020). The integration of energy and food systems is also being explored in Sweden, where researchers have explored the integration of vertical hydroponic systems and district heating applications in an urban setting (Gentry, 2019).…”

Energy Distribution Modeling for Assessment and Optimal Distribution of Sustainable Energy for On-Grid Food, Energy, and Water Systems in Remote Microgrids

“…presents the relevant equations to model the energy demand of a greenhouse [28,29]. Additional details on modeling plant growth and energy use in the Arctic can be found in the literature [30].…”

“…The energy requirements of a greenhouse include heating, cooling, and artificial lighting. The methods in this paper assume the energy demand to be tied to specific times; however, dispatching loads optimally can provide improved integration with the community microgrid [30]. The heating and cooling load can primarily be categorized into three forms: conduction and convection, air infiltration/exchange, and evapotranspiration.…”