A Sequential EnergyPlus–DSSAT Framework for Assessing Energy Use, Environmental Control and Wheat Production in Vertical Farming
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Purpose Engineering assessment of vertical wheat farming requires coordinated evaluation of energy use, environmental control and crop production. This study develops a sequential framework linking independent EnergyPlus and DSSAT CERES-Wheat simulations. Methods The interface translates lighting and thermal inputs, reconciles crop-cycle outputs with annual facility energy, and applies crop-input-state equivalence checks to determine when crop simulations require re-execution or conditional reuse. A hypothetical five-tier wheat facility in Timimoun, Algeria, provides a computational demonstration, including a matched-envelope LED-efficiency comparison, output verification, crop plausibility assessment and plant-load sensitivities. Results The reference crop simulation predicted 4,999 kg ha⁻¹ of grain over 72 days. Increasing LED photon efficacy from 2.7 to 3.5 µmol J⁻¹ reduced simulated annual electricity use from 6.806 to 5.331 GWh (21.7%) in a matched-envelope comparison, but annual hours above 60% relative humidity increased from four to 224. Daily maximum and minimum crop-zone temperatures agreed at DSSAT input precision (0.1°C) on all 72 days of the tested window. In a separate load sensitivity, increasing prescribed latent load from 80 to 547 W m⁻² raised annual site energy by 19.0% and cooling electricity by 69.1%. Conclusion The sequential interface enables traceable comparative building–crop assessment and reveals energy–humidity-control trade-offs. Crop-output reuse is conditional on unchanged remaining crop inputs and cannot be assumed across untested annual cycles. The hypothetical facility has not been experimentally validated, and the approach is not dynamic crop–building co-simulation.
Source: Research Square
Institution: University of Strathclyde
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225375505