Energy Potential of Greenhouse Plant Residue: The Cases of Turkey and Poland

Atılgan Atılgan (), Sedat Boyacı, Stanisław Famielec, Anna Krakowiak-Bal, Urszula Ziemiańczyk, Joanna Kocięcka, Sławomir Kurpaska, Roman Rolbiecki, Daniel Liberacki and Mateusz Malinowski ()
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Atılgan Atılgan: Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, 07425 Alanya, Turkey
Sedat Boyacı: Department of Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Kırsehir Ahi Evran University, 40100 Kırsehir, Turkey
Stanisław Famielec: Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Power Engineering and Automation, Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture in Kraków, 30-149 Kraków, Poland
Anna Krakowiak-Bal: Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Power Engineering and Automation, Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture in Kraków, 30-149 Kraków, Poland
Urszula Ziemiańczyk: Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Power Engineering and Automation, Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture in Kraków, 30-149 Kraków, Poland
Joanna Kocięcka: Department of Land Improvement, Environmental Development and Spatial Management, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-649 Poznań, Poland
Sławomir Kurpaska: Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Power Engineering and Automation, Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture in Kraków, 30-149 Kraków, Poland
Roman Rolbiecki: Department of Agrometeorology, Plant Irrigation and Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, 85-029 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Daniel Liberacki: Department of Land Improvement, Environmental Development and Spatial Management, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-649 Poznań, Poland
Mateusz Malinowski: Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Power Engineering and Automation, Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture in Kraków, 30-149 Kraków, Poland

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-16

Abstract: The search for waste management opportunities is crucial for achieving environmentally friendly waste practices and ensuring the country’s energy security. This research aimed to valorize biomass and waste generated in greenhouses and to analyze the potential for electricity production from this waste. The analyses compared the situations in Turkey and Poland, where greenhouse production of vegetables is developing and constitutes an important link in agricultural activities, despite differences in climatic conditions. The cultivation of vegetables and flowers under cover is rapidly expanding in both countries and, with changing climatic conditions, is expected to shape the future of agriculture. In addition to estimating the energy that can be obtained, the study also evaluated the economic benefits of such a solution and the volume of avoided CO 2 emissions from fossil fuels. The issue of utilizing these wastes is significant because current methods of their management do not lead to energy production, so their considerable energy potential is wasted, as highlighted in this study. Moreover, there is a lack of similar studies in the literature. The plant species chosen as materials in this study were tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, watermelon, and melon in the case of Turkey. For Poland, the analysis was conducted for tomatoes and greenhouse cucumbers. These crops represent the largest cultivated areas under cover in the respective countries. Results indicated that the average yearly amount of vegetable residue is approximately 463 thousand Mg in Turkey, and 77 thousand Mg in Poland. The estimated annual electricity potential is 430 GWh in Turkey and 80 GWh in Poland. Considering the efficiency of power generation in a typical power plant, the real amount of electricity to be obtained is 0.46 MWh per Mg of waste in Turkey and 0.52 MWh in Poland.

Keywords: agricultural waste; energy; electricity; economic effects; carbon dioxide emissions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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