Cost analysis of agricultural greenhouse yield production using spectrum selective fluids

As global food demand rises, there is an increasing emphasis on local food production, especially in arid regions where traditional farming is limited. Greenhouses offer crop protection but require significant energy, especially for cooling in hot climates. Conventional greenhouse models estimate the energy impact of crop protection but not their influence on crop yield or growth. This work proposes a method to assess the cost-effectiveness of using different spectrum-selective fluids as crop protection measures to enhance yield and reduce energy use in greenhouses. The method consists of an input-yield model that additionally considers crop optimal set points, CO₂ concentration, and leaf area index. The methodology was applied to a theoretical tomato greenhouse. The findings demonstrate that using 0.005 vol% concentrated ATO-WO₃ as the spectrum selective fluid in a greenhouse roof results in the most cost-effective tomato yield at $2.25 kg⁻¹.