Using Wind Resource Assessment to Optimize Plant Factory Locations

Abstract

Within this field of research, a wind resource evaluation can identify the locations where wind-induced heat losses can have a greater impact on the overall losses of plant factories, as well as those locations where it may not be as significant. This study focuses on choosing the optimal locations for plant factories based on wind resource assessment in Davleia, Central Greece. Based on the results, suitable regions for plant factory/vertical farms locations were suggested. The study analyses the heat losses due to wind in two scenarios with various wall surfaces based on annual wind speed, direction, and temperature experimental data from a mast. The heat transfer in a wall surface with 10 m2 and an annual average wind speed of 4.6 m/s, can be more than 18 MWh/yr. The investigation showed that while places outside the built-up agglomerations can face noticeably larger heat losses, there are sites within Davleia with low wind speeds that can limit heat loss. The study offers useful information for choosing suitable locations based on an analysis of the wind resource.