Technology to Address Food Deserts: Low Energy Corner Store Groceries with Integrated Agriculture Greenhouse

Fahad Awjah Almehmadi, Kevin P. Hallinan, Rydge B. Mulford and Saeed A. Alqaed
Additional contact information
Fahad Awjah Almehmadi: College of Engineering, Muzahimiyah Branch, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
Kevin P. Hallinan: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469-0238, USA
Rydge B. Mulford: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469-0238, USA
Saeed A. Alqaed: Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering at Najran, Najran University, King Abdulaziz Road, Najran 1988, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 18, 1-22

Abstract: Food deserts have emerged as sources of urban crises around the world. The lack of access to healthy food has rendered health inequities that have been made more visible by the devastating effects of COVID-19 on the populations experiencing food insecurity and healthy food access. Research is posed to fight food deserts through innovation and technology; specifically, through the development of corner store grocery markets with integrated agricultural greenhouses in such a way as to both provide access to healthy foods at reasonable cost to better meet nutritional needs, and significantly reduce operating costs. The posed technology includes a combined heat and power (CHP) system to reduce overall energy costs by meeting the partial electric and thermal loads required within the store and the connected greenhouse. A mathematical model is developed to control the operation of the CHP system and to dispatch the generated electric power to the store and the thermal energy to the greenhouse to minimize overall energy requirements. The model is applied to an ambient environment representing a heating-dominant climate. Results indicate the potential to reduce operating costs by 55% in a heating-dominant climate.

Keywords: sustainable development goals; efficient energy management; optimization; food deserts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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