Solar Thermal Collectors for Greenhouse Heating

Vox, Giuliano; Schettini, Evelia; Cervone, Andrea; Anifantis, Alexandros Sotirios

doi:10.17660/actahortic.2008.801.92

Cited by 23 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Greenhouse production still requires large energy inputs; the microclimate conditioning can reach an energy load up to 400 W¨m´2 for heating, lighting and cooling requirements [2][3][4]. Nevertheless, the great majority of greenhouses depend on fossil fuels and the use of this particular source for greenhouse heating has a major impact on the cost and on the environmental sustainability of vegetable production [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrolyzer Performance Analysis of an Integrated Hydrogen Power System for Greenhouse Heating. A Case Study

et al. 2016

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Abstract:A greenhouse containing an integrated system of photovoltaic panels, a water electrolyzer, fuel cells and a geothermal heat pump was set up to investigate suitable solutions for a power system based on solar energy and hydrogen, feeding a self-sufficient, geothermal-heated greenhouse. The electricity produced by the photovoltaic source supplies the electrolyzer; the manufactured hydrogen gas is held in a pressure tank. In these systems, the electrolyzer is a crucial component; the technical challenge is to make it work regularly despite the irregularity of the solar source. The focus of this paper is to study the performance and the real energy efficiency of the electrolyzer, analyzing its operational data collected under different operating conditions affected by the changeable solar radiant energy characterizing the site where the experimental plant was located. The analysis of the measured values allowed evaluation of its suitability for the agricultural requirements such as greenhouse heating. On the strength of the obtained result, a new layout of the battery bank has been designed and exemplified to improve the performance of the electrolyzer. The evaluations resulting from this case study may have a genuine value, therefore assisting in further studies to better understand these devices and their associated technologies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrolyzer Performance Analysis of an Integrated Hydrogen Power System for Greenhouse Heating. A Case Study

et al. 2016

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“…Greenhouses play a significant function in the modern agriculture allowing off-season cultivation of crops and flowers and growth of varieties of flora also in areas where the natural climate is not conducive (Baldoin et al, 2008;Giacomelli et al, 2012). Nowadays oil, natural gas and electric energy are generally used to supply the great majority of the greenhouses (Vox et al, 2008), contributing to the fossil energy resources depletion, to greenhouse gas emissions and to environmental impact of greenhouse industry. An interesting solution to alleviate the energy and environmental problems connected to the current fossil-based energy systems for greenhouses climate control may be represented by the use of geothermal energy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geothermal source heat pump performance for a greenhouse heating system: an experimental study

Anifantis

Pascuzzi

Scarascia-Mugnozza

2016

J Agricult Engineer

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Greenhouses play a significant function in the modern agriculture economy even if require great amount of energy for heating systems. An interesting solution to alleviate the energy costs and environmental problems may be represented by the use of geothermal energy. The aim of this paper, based on measured experimental data, such as the inside greenhouse temperature and the heat pump performance (input and output temperatures of the working fluid, electric consumption), was the evaluation of the suitability of low enthalpy geothermal heat sources for agricultural needs such as greenhouses heating. The study was carried out at the experimental farm of the University of Bari, where a greenhouse was arranged with a heating system connected to a ground-source heat pump (GSHP), which had to cover the thermal energy request. The experimental results of this survey highlight the capability of the geothermal heat source to ensue thermal conditions suitable for cultivation in greenhouses even if the compressor inside the heat pump have operated continuously in a fluctuating state without ever reaching the steady condition. Probably, to increase the performance of the heat pump and then its coefficient of performance within GSHP systems for heating greenhouses, it is important to analyse and maximise the power conductivity of the greenhouse heating system, before to design an expensive borehole ground exchanger. Nevertheless, according to the experimental data obtained, the GSHP systems are effective, efficient and environmental friendly and may be useful to supply the heating energy demand of greenhouses.

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“…On the other hand, the opaque PV modules intercept the solar radiation necessary for crop production, in contrast with the main purpose of a greenhouse: to optimise solar radiation transmission under controlled conditions in order to improve the growing environment (British Standards Institution, 2001;Vox et al, 2010). It is strategic to find a balance between the two opposite needs: to reduce the shading effect of PV panels in order to allow as much as possible the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) component entering into the greenhouse (Schettini et al, 2011) and to improve the energy production which is proportional to the opaque surface of the panels (Vox et al, 2008). At this aim, three technological research areas are involved (Poncet et al, 2012): the greenhouse design optimisation including photovoltaic panels (Al-Ibrahim et al, 2006;Yano et al, 2009;Sonneveld et al, 2010;Yano et al, 2010;Wenger and Teitel, 2012); the development of more transparent solar panels (Biancardo et al, 2007;Yano et al, 2014); and/or organic photovoltaic materials (Emmot et al, 2015) the selection of species adapted to this particular system of production (Kadowaki et al, 2012;Lopez et al, 2012;Urena Sanchez et al, 2012;Klaring and Krumbein, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar radiation distribution inside a monospan greenhouse with the roof entirely covered by photovoltaic panels

Castellano

Santamaria

Serio

2016

J Agricult Engineer

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In the present work the variation over space and time of the amount of the photosynthetic photons flux density, inside a greenhouse entirely covered with photovoltaic panels was investigated experimentally and numerically. The greenhouse had 10.00 m spam width, 50.00 m length, 3.00 m height of the gutter, 6.60 m height of the edge. Data were acquired in the period 18 th April-8 th June 2014 by one sensor outside and one inside the experimental greenhouse built in Southern Italy. Numeric simulations were performed by means of commercial software Autodesk ® Ecotect ® . For the investigated greenhouse model, the exposed percentage -the ratio of the calculated insolation at a particular point within an enclosure to the simultaneous unobstructed outdoor insolation under the same sky conditions -was calculated over a three dimensional grid formed by 50¥10¥15 cells each with 1.00¥1.00¥0.20 m size. The long-term analysis demonstrated a good capability of the numerical model to predict the shading effect inside a photovoltaic greenhouse combining the daily calculated exposed percentage with measurements of solar radiation. The model was able also to predict the qualitative behaviour of the variation of photons flux during the day even if the measured values showed a higher fluctuation of values.

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Solar Thermal Collectors for Greenhouse Heating

Cited by 23 publications

References 0 publications

Electrolyzer Performance Analysis of an Integrated Hydrogen Power System for Greenhouse Heating. A Case Study

Electrolyzer Performance Analysis of an Integrated Hydrogen Power System for Greenhouse Heating. A Case Study

Geothermal source heat pump performance for a greenhouse heating system: an experimental study

Solar radiation distribution inside a monospan greenhouse with the roof entirely covered by photovoltaic panels

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