Energy management system and method in combined greenhouses and vertical farms

A system comprising:

• a greenhouse;
• and
• two or more vertical farming modules, each vertical farming module comprising a heat transfer system, the heat transfer system comprising:
• a closed circuit having a cooling fluid circulating therein, the closed circuit comprising a fluid-cooled light-supporting tube to transmit excess heat from a lighting equipment of the vertical farming module to a cooling fluid;
• a heat pump operating with a system fluid;
• an air handling unit fluidly connected to the heat pump, the air handling unit receiving the cold system fluid from the heat pump to dehumidify air in the vertical farming module, the air handling unit being configured to capture and extract latent heat produced by plants in the vertical farming module and to forward a warmed system fluid warmed with the latent heat to the heat pump, and the air handling unit being configured to receive a heated system fluid from the heat pump to warm air in the vertical farming module;
• a heating system located in a greenhouse, the heating system configured to heat the greenhouse by generating heated air from the system fluid heated by and received from the heat pump;
• and
• a computerized control system which is configured to control temperature and humidity in the vertical farming module and in the greenhouse simultaneously based on humidity, temperature and evapotranspiration of the plants in the vertical farming module and based on humidity and temperature in the greenhouse, wherein respective day-night cycles of lighting of the two or more vertical farming modules have a phase offset for smoothing an overall heat output from the two or more vertical farming modules.

A method for energy management in a vertical farming module and a greenhouse, the method executed by a system comprising a circuit pump, a heat pump, an air handling unit and a heating system, the method comprising:

• pumping a cooling fluid through a closed circuit, the closed circuit comprising a fluid-cooled light-supporting tube operable to absorb heat from a lighting equipment located thereon;
• cooling the cooling fluid by transferring heat to a system fluid in the heat exchanger;
• providing cool system fluid from the heat pump to the air handling unit, the air handling unit configured to heat a vertical farming air in the vertical farming module, the air handling unit being configured to capture and extract latent heat produced by plants in the vertical farming module and to forward a warmed system fluid warmed with the latent heat to the heat pump;
• and
• providing a heated system fluid generated by the heat pump to the heating system operable to heat a greenhouse air in the greenhouse, and
• controlling temperature and humidity in the vertical farming module and in the greenhouse simultaneously based on humidity, temperature and evapotranspiration of the plants in the vertical farming module and based on humidity and temperature in the greenhouse.