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The challenge of meeting the increasing global food demand has driven a shift toward controlled-environment agriculture, particularly in plant factories. However, the high energy consumption associated with these systems raises concerns about their long-term sustainability and economic feasibility. A comprehensive review was conducted to identify existing and potential technologies and strategies that can enhance the energy efficiency of plant factories. Data regarding environmental conditions, energy efficiency, water efficiency, and space efficiency were also extracted to facilitate comparison across studies. Findings indicate that optimizing crop yields and reducing energy consumption are key to improving the efficiency of plant factories. These can be achieved by integrating advanced environmental control technologies, energy-efficient system designs, modular plant factory configurations tailored to local climatic conditions, and effective management practices. While adopting renewable energy alone is insufficient to meet total energy demands, it significantly reduces energy costs and carbon emissions. Furthermore, strategically integrating plant factories with other industries will promote the efficient use of residual resources, fostering a circular economy and enhancing resource efficiency within plant factory systems and the broader economic framework. The insights provided in this review will contribute to developing sustainable and economically viable plant factory systems, supporting future advancements in controlled-environment agriculture.
Mun et al. (Sun,) studied this question.