Dynamic modeling and techno-economic assessment of hybrid renewable energy and thermal storage systems for a net-zero energy greenhouse in South Korea

The implementation of hybrid renewable energy and thermal energy storage systems (HRETESSs) in greenhouses holds great promise in terms of greenhouse gas emission reduction, enhanced efficiency, and reliability of agricultural operations. In this study, numerical and experimental studies were conducted on a greenhouse integrated with HRETESSs in South Korea. The system consisted of solar thermal (ST) collectors, photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collectors, thermal energy storage, and heat pump systems. The performance analysis of the HRETESSs in various locations across South Korea was conducted using a validated TRNSYS model, which was calibrated through experimental measurements. RETscreen software was utilized to perform the techno-economic evaluation of the HRETESSs. Across all the cities studied, the HRETESSs achieved an average contribution of 43% and 20% toward meeting the thermal and electrical loads, respectively, resulting in an annual gross reduction of 4326–5157 tons of CO₂. Moreover, the heat injection into the borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) from the ST and PVT collectors increases the contribution of the BTES to the greenhouse load.