Technical, Economic and Environmental Assessments of Utilization of Combined Heat and Power Generation Systems in Iranian Greenhouse Cultures

Greenhouse cultures include energy-related economic activities in the agricultural sector. Due to the problems in the production, transmission and distribution systems of electricity in conventional systems, development of CHP systems were so attractive in recent years. In this research after determining of advantages and disadvantage of CHP systems for using in greenhouse cultures, technical, economic and environmental assessments of these systems were evaluated. Finally, the role of government policies and supports were investigated. For technical, economic and environmental feasibility of using these systems in the greenhouse, the technical use of the system in the greenhouse, the amount of net present value (NPV), investment income components, cost components of capital, the amount of stored energy and carbon dioxide emissions were calculated. The results showed that because of the low number of technical personnel for installation, maintenance and repair of the system, it would be out of order if a problem occurred. Economically, it can be economically feasible to use government-sponsored sales of electricity to the national grid and the use of free-tariff gas. This reflects the role of government policies and facilities in the economic development of these projects.