Abstract
Countries located in the Mediterranean region share many common features in terms of agricultural sustainability and economic realities of modern farming, as they are affected by water scarcity, energy use and climate suitability. Greenhouses are considered as a mitigation measure to combat climate change and as a sustainable production system. The majority of greenhouses in the Mediterranean region are rudimentary, while those in Central and North Europe are characterized by equipment of a high technological level for greenhouse climate and fertigation management. However, the technological innovations and research originating from Central and North Europe glasshouses may not be appropriate for use in Mediterranean plastic greenhouses when considering the trade-off between agronomic needs and potential energy savings. Identifying energy measures suitable for the local climate will improve energy efficiency and crop performance toward the goal of greenhouse sustainability. This review mainly focuses on renewable and energy-efficient control systems in Mediterranean greenhouses, where crops such as tomato and cucumber are widely grown.
Highlights
Greenhouses and high tunnels are estimated to account for approximately 700,000 ha worldwide, mainly concentrated in Asia and Europe [1,2,3]
The results indicated savings in the first-year energy consumption above 60% in a greenhouse using shallow geothermal energy for heating as compared to a greenhouse heated with heating oil
In the case of Cyprus, Polycarpou [29] showed that, considering the large initial installation cost and the yearly energy savings from such a system, there is an optimum energy mix consisting of 90% solar energy and 10% heat provided by an auxiliary system of burning fossil fuel oil or biomass
Summary
Greenhouses and high tunnels are estimated to account for approximately 700,000 ha worldwide, mainly concentrated in Asia and Europe [1,2,3]. Since the majority of greenhouses are of low-to-medium technology, suboptimal growing conditions are usually associated with inefficient climate and energy control and high emissions of chemicals to the environment which, in turn, increases the production cost and environmental consequences. Villarreal-Guerrero et al [14] suggested that maintaining high transpiration (higher leaf area index) during summer is an efficient method for cooling a greenhouse, as the majority of the water absorbed by the plant can be returned as vapor to the greenhouse air and cool the environment In another case, Kittas et al [13] suggested that maintaining low transpiration rates during winter can have positive effects on the energy efficiency of the greenhouse, as less water is released into the greenhouse air and less energy is required for humidity control. In this light, setting the goal of a climate-neutral economy is a strategic choice of each country to achieve environmental goals for the benefit of society and to ensure a sustainable future for all
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