Development of Energy Monitoring System for Container-Type Plant Factory

Arina Mohd Noh; Muhd Akhtar Mohamad Tahir; Mohd Zul Fadzli Marzuki; Mohamad Saiful Nizam Azmi

doi:10.37934/progee.32.1.19

Authors

Arina Mohd Noh Engineering Research Centre, Malaysian Agriculture, Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Persiaran MARDI-UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
Muhd Akhtar Mohamad Tahir Engineering Research Centre, Malaysian Agriculture, Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Persiaran MARDI-UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
Mohd Zul Fadzli Marzuki Engineering Research Centre, Malaysian Agriculture, Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Persiaran MARDI-UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
Mohamad Saiful Nizam Azmi Engineering Research Centre, Malaysian Agriculture, Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Persiaran MARDI-UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37934/progee.32.1.19

Keywords:

Energy monitoring, Plant Factory, IoT

Abstract

This paper presents the development of an intelligent, web-based energy monitoring system for container-type plant factories, aimed at optimising energy consumption and promoting sustainability in controlled-environment agriculture. The system integrates the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 technologies to provide real-time energy monitoring and control across subsystems such as lighting, climate control, and irrigation. A comparative analysis of the sensor-based system and a fixed control strategy showed that the sensor-based system significantly reduced energy consumption, achieving savings of approximately 1.27 kWh/day without compromising thermal comfort. Statistical analysis revealed a mean energy consumption of 7.41 kWh for the sensor-based system, compared to 8.68 kWh for the fixed system, indicating higher efficiency and flexibility. Economic evaluation demonstrates the financial viability of the system, with an estimated payback period of 4.3 years and a return on investment (ROI) of 131% over a 10-year period. This positions the system as a cost-effective solution for small to medium-scale plant factories, supporting broader sustainability goals by reducing operational costs and carbon footprints, in alignment with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act (EECA) 2024. The system also incorporates robust reliability and security features, including redundancy in key components, automated fault diagnosis, and end-to-end encryption, ensuring long-term operational stability. This study highlights the potential of IoT-enabled energy monitoring to enhance sustainability in agriculture, providing a scalable, economically feasible solution for the future of food production. Future work will focus on integrating renewable energy sources and predictive analytics to further optimise energy management.

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