Abstract
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) applications, such as vertical farms and plant factories, have the potential to shift food production to be close to urban centers helping meet demands of large populations as well as achieving global climate goals. Growing crops in controlled environments has proven to be feasible for several applications, however, most involve energy intensive processes. The review analysis presented in this paper seeks to overview current CEA practices as well as potential energy efficiency technologies that can enhance the sustainability and the profitability of the indoor farming industry. Specifically, the paper reviews various CEA techniques, optimal indoor growing environments, successful case studies, and recommended energy systems research. The review analysis indicates that changes to a facility's envelope, HVAC, lighting, and incorporation of distributed generation technology can reduce consumption of electricity up to 75% in several CEA case studies. Future research into controls, dehumidification, lighting, and crop variety are vital for a wider adoption of CEA applications.
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