A systematic review of techno-economic modeling and optimization of solar–wind–battery hybrid systems for off-grid agricultural cold storage

Post-harvest losses are approximately 2% in developed countries but exceed 25%–30% in developing countries, largely because of inadequate cold-storage infrastructure and unreliable energy supply. Off-grid agricultural and food-production systems commonly rely on diesel-powered refrigeration to reduce these losses; however, high and volatile diesel prices and the associated greenhouse gas emissions make this approach unsustainable. Solar–wind–battery hybrid systems offer an alternative, yet no study has systematically examined their application to agricultural cold storage. This paper presents a systematic review of the literature on the design and sizing, techno-economic evaluation, modelling, and optimization of such systems. Four databases (Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and IEEE Xplore) were searched for English-language, peer-reviewed studies published between 2017 and 2025, and 109 studies were included in the synthesis. The reviewed studies generally report levelized cost of energy (LCOE) values that are competitive with, and in some cases lower than, those of diesel-based generation, and reductions of up to 14% in daily operating costs are reported for optimized systems. However, many studies rely on simplified, often static, refrigeration load models that neglect compressor start-up and cycling behaviour, product-related thermal loads, and battery degradation. To address these limitations, this review proposes a taxonomy of hybrid cold-storage system architectures, an integrated techno-economic modelling framework, and a research roadmap to guide the development of reliable, cost-effective off-grid cold-storage power systems capable of reducing post-harvest losses and improving food security in underserved regions.