Will solar technology enable the greenhouse of the future?

Greenhouse Management
Features - Technology
North Carolina State University researchers have set out to demonstrate how plant growth under simulated organic solar cells could one day make greenhouses more sustainable.
©hansenn | Adobe Stock
Greenhouses are controlled environments that have the potential to expand growth regions and seasons for food and flower production. Greenhouses can increase yield by an order of magnitude while reducing water and fertilizer consumption. However, the energy required to thermally regulate a greenhouse coupled with supplementary lighting makes greenhouses energy intensive, thereby hampering greenhouses from becoming environmentally sustainable.
Since the beginning of 2017, engineering, plant biology and physics researchers at North Carolina State University have been looking at ways to make greenhouses energy neutral using semi-transparent organic solar cells to harvest energy. These solar cells have the potential to compliment plant’s absorption spectra while generating power, thereby aiding plant growth while at the same time offsetting greenhouse energy demand. In this process, no additional land usage is required given that the solar cells can be integrated onto the greenhouse envelope.

Related Keywords

Japan ,United States ,Sonoma ,California ,Italy ,Napa County ,Santa Rosa Junior College ,San Francisco ,Petaluma ,Italian ,Japanese ,Chris Neve ,Lou Neve ,Safeway ,Bay Area ,Sonoma State ,East Coast ,Sonoma Country ,San Francisco Flower ,Neve Roses ,ஜப்பான் ,ஒன்றுபட்டது மாநிலங்களில் ,சோணோமா ,கலிஃபோர்னியா ,இத்தாலி ,நாபா கவுண்டி ,சாந்தா ரோசா ஜூனியர் கல்லூரி ,சான் பிரான்சிஸ்கோ ,பெட்டலுமா ,இத்தாலிய ,ஜப்பானிய ,கிறிஸ் னேவே ,லூ னேவே ,பாதுகாப்பான பாதை ,வளைகுடா பரப்பளவு ,சோணோமா நிலை ,கிழக்கு கடற்கரை ,சோணோமா நாடு ,சான் பிரான்சிஸ்கோ பூ ,