TITLE:
Optimization of Design and Operational Parameters for GREENBOX Farming System
AUTHORS:
Jinghang Zhuo, Wei Ren, James Knighton, Rosa Raudales, Xiusheng Yang
KEYWORDS:
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), Dynamic Modeling, GREENBOX, Lettuce, Microclimate Control, Particle Swarm Optimization, Warehouse Farming
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.17 No.9,
September
29,
2026
ABSTRACT: As global population growth and urbanization intensify, food security faces significant challenges. GREENBOX technology, a modular, thermostatic indoor farming system, was developed at the University of Connecticut to enhance urban food production capacity within warehouse environments. This study developed a dynamic simulation model of the GREENBOX-warehouse system in MATLAB, using coupled energy and mass balances to optimize environmental conditions for Butterhead Rex lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and Cannabis crops. The model’s performance was validated against empirical data, accurately predicting seasonal temperature and humidity with Mean Absolute Errors (MAE) of 0.8˚C - 1.4˚C and 3.5% - 6.2%, respectively. Subsequent optimization using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) identified a critical thermal transmittance (U-value) of 3.68 Wm−2K−1 that balances material volume and thermal stability. Ideal lighting configurations were determined at 11.84 W for lettuce and 35.5 W for cannabis to achieve target PPFD levels. Optimized ventilation rates were established at 0.0132 m3s−1 (standard structure for short crops) and 0.0363 m3s−1 (tall crop version) to effectively manage latent heat. To ensure industrial scalability, warehouse-level HVAC requirements were standardized on a volumetric basis: 0.00011 - 0.00016 m3m−3s−1 for air flow, 2.00 Wm−3 for cooling, and 1.91 Wm−3 for heating. These quantitative benchmarks provide a prescriptive framework for the construction and operation of GREENBOX indoor farming units in a warehouse environment, making the model a practical tool for applying the GREENBOX technology in urban controlled environment agriculture (CEA).