Many greenhouses could become energy neutral by using see-through solar panels to harvest energy – primarily from the wavelengths of light that plants don’t use for photosynthesis.
Those are the findings of a new modeling study conducted by engineering, plant biology and physics researchers at North Carolina State University.
“Plants only use some wavelengths of light for photosynthesis, and the idea is to create greenhouses that make energy from that unused light while allowing most of the photosynthetic band of light to pass through,” says Brendan O’Connor, corresponding author of the study and an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State. “We’re able to do this by using organic solar cells, because they allow us to tune the spectrum of light that the solar cell absorbs – so we can focus on using mostly wavelengths of light that plants don’t use. However, until now it wasn’t clear how much energy a greenhouse could capture if it was using these semitransparent, wavelength selective, organic solar cells.”
To address that question, researchers used a computational model to estimate how much energy a greenhouse could produce if it had semitransparent organic solar cells on its roof – and whether that would be enough energy to offset the amount of energy the greenhouse required to operate effectively. The model was developed to estimate energy use for greenhouses growing tomatoes at locations in Arizona, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
“A lot of the energy use in greenhouses comes from heating and cooling, so our model focused on calculating the energy load needed to maintain the optimal temperature range for tomato growth,” O’Connor says. “The model also calculated the amount of energy a greenhouse would produce at each location when solar cells were placed on its roof.”
The modeling is complex because there’s a complicated trade-off between the amount of power the solar cells generate and the amount of light in the photosynthetic band that they allow to pass through. Basically, if growers are willing to sacrifice larger amounts of photosynthetic growth, they can generate more power.
What’s more, the solar cells used for this analysis are effective insulators, because they reflect infrared light. This helps to keep greenhouses cooler in the summer, while trapping more warmth in the winter.
The end result is that, for many greenhouse operators, the trade-off could be a small one. Particularly for greenhouses in warm or temperate climates.
For example, in Arizona, the greenhouses could become energy neutral – requiring no outside source of power – while blocking only 10% of the photosynthetic band of light. However, if growers are willing to block more photosynthetic light, they could generate twice as much energy as they required to operate the greenhouse. In North Carolina, a greenhouse could become energy neutral while blocking 20% of the photosynthetic light. In Wisconsin, greenhouses couldn’t become energy neutral using the semitransparent solar cells – keeping the greenhouse warm in winter requires too much energy. However, the solar cells could meet up to 46% of the greenhouse’s energy demand.
“While the technology does use some of the light plants rely on, we think the impact will be negligible on plant growth – and that the trade-off will make financial sense to growers,” O’Connor says.
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Solar-powered greenhouses
- Solar Power Now Leads the Charge Towards Sustainable Energy Future
With its focus on innovation, accessibility, and advocacy, Solar Power Now continues to lead the charge towards a brighter, cleaner, and more sustainable energy future for all. Contact Info: Name: ...
- A photocatalyst for sustainable syngas production from greenhouse gases
Researchers have developed a novel photocatalyst, named Rh/InGaN1-xOx, which is a nanoarchitecture consisting of rhodium nanoparticles anchored on oxygen-modified indium gallium nitride nanowires ...
- Rocky rollout for Bangladesh’s ambitious solar-powered irrigation plans
By Abu Siddique Bangladesh plans to phase out diesel-powered irrigation pumps for solar ones to cut carbon emissions, but the country’s farmers have expressed concern about the availability of power ...
- Need for huge natural gas plant in question as solar energy rises across SC
Solar power and battery storage are expected to reduce the need for natural gas in South Carolina, pipeline representatives say..
- Solar power occupies a lot of space - here's how to make it more ecologically beneficial to the land it sits on
The vast majority of agrivoltaic projects in the U.S. are on lands managed for livestock grazing and pollinator habitat. These sites are ideal for solar power colocation because, unlike croplands, ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Solar-powered greenhouses
[google_news title=”” keyword=”solar-powered greenhouses” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Energy neutral greenhouse
- KDDI Group advances carbon neutral target
Net zero refers to all greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere, requiring going beyond the removal of just carbon emissions. In addition, KDDI’s data centres, operating under the Telehouse ...
- The US is propping up gas while the world moves to renewable energy
The amount of electricity and greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants likely peaked in 2023, according to the annual global electricity review by energy think tank Ember. That ...
- Greenhouse gas emissions mean global temperature records will continue to be broken, scientists say
The energy being trapped in the world’s oceans and atmosphere by ever-increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases will see global temperature records continually broken in the near future, climate ...
- A photocatalyst for sustainable syngas production from greenhouse gases
Researchers have developed a novel photocatalyst, named Rh/InGaN1-xOx, which is a nanoarchitecture consisting of rhodium nanoparticles anchored on oxygen-modified indium gallium nitride nanowires ...
- Q&A: Economist says EVs can help drive US to carbon-neutral power grid
Vehicle standards recently announced by the Environmental Protection Agency establish stringent new goals for manufacturers to slash greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of pollution, pushing the ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Energy neutral greenhouse
[google_news title=”” keyword=”energy neutral greenhouse” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]