Problem/Objective

The world population is expected to grow to 9.7 billion people by 2050, according to the United Nations. This growth, combined with climate change and urbanization, requires fixes for the flaws in the world's current food production systems. Indoor farming methods, such as plant factories with artificial lighting, are less vulnerable to climate change, but they're energy-intensive and require careful resource management to be sustainable.

Solution

In a study by the Cornell University, researchers have found out that integration of artificial intelligence into today's environmental control systems could reduce energy consumption for indoor agriculture by 25%—potentially helping to feed the world as its population rises.

Benjamin Decardi-Nelson, a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Fengqi You, Cornell University stated that if we incorporate AI into agricultural plant factories—large-scale indoor farms with complete lighting and climate control—all around the world, we can facilitate crop photosynthesis, transpiration and respiration in these buildings. We can expect to see substantial energy reduction while amplifying efficiency and a savings of precious resources.

Their research, "Artificial Intelligence Can Regulate Light and Climate Systems to Reduce Energy Use in Plant Factories and Support Sustainable Food Production," appears in Nature Food.

Result/Impact

Ventilation can reduce energy use, but complicates plant growth by affecting carbon dioxide levels and moisture balance. AI tools can help regulation methods factor in this criteria.

By using AI techniques like deep reinforcement learning and computational optimization, the scientists analyzed lettuce cultivated in indoor agricultural facilities within eight diverse locales throughout the U.S.—Los Angeles; Chicago; Miami; Seattle; Milwaukee; Phoenix; Fargo, North Dakota; and Ithaca, New York—as well as Reykjavík, Iceland and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

AI reduces energy use by optimizing lighting and climate regulation systems. Energy use dropped to 6.42 kilowatt hours per kilogram fresh weight (energy needed or used to produce one kilogram of indoor-grown lettuce) from 9.5 kilowatt hours per kilogram fresh weight, in places that use non-AI technology. The researchers found that for warmer areas such as Dubai or southern U.S. climes, AI reduced energy usage to 7.26 kilowatt hours per kilogram fresh weight, down from 10.5 kilowatt hours per kilogram fresh weight.

Low ventilation during light periods (16 hours of simulated sunlight) and high ventilation during dark periods (eight hours that simulate night) provided an energy-efficient solution for optimal indoor carbon dioxide levels for photosynthesis, oxygen for respiration and plant growth, and balanced other ventilation requirements.

By streamlining operations using AI to reduce energy consumption, indoor farms become viable, Decardi-Nelson said, even in regions with limited energy-saving opportunities.

Phys Org