Energy sustainability performance of

a sliding cover solar greenhouse:

Solar energy capture aspects
Xuejiao Tong a, Zhouping Sun a*, Nick Sigrimis b, Tianlai Li a
a College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Northern Horticultural Facilities
Design & Application Technology (Liaoning), Key Laboratory of Protected Horticulture, Ministry of Education, Shenyang 110866, China
b Agricultural University of Athens, Geosmart Spinout, Iera Odos 75, Athens, 11855, Greece
 Summary
• Agriculture Energy input is becoming a critical sustainability issue

• Solar Irradiance as Energy and PAR is a prominent factor for protected

horticulture and is the inhibition for Vertical Farming today and tomorrow

• Shape factor and Aperture efficiency introduced in Energy Capture by

greenhouses

• Compare Solar Receptor shapes analytically for Radiant Energy Intercept

• Circular shape greenhouse energy capture analysis and verification

experiments

• Energy Flow Definitions and Capture Analysis methodology might be

followed by new researchers.
 Background Solar Greenhouse
High efficiency, energy-
Chinese main typical saving and low cost 1.3 million ha, 26.5%
farmers’ greenhouse of total horticultural
structure facilities area by 2016

Shenyang

Anshan

Liaoning Province, China

Originated from Anshan, Gross output value was

Liaoning Province in 400 billion ¥, 13% of
1980s Resolved vegetable supply national crop value
in north China in winter
 Background LSG type
LSG=Liaoning Solar Greenhouse= improved traditional
Structural problems Performance problems
➢ Poor ability of rain-proof, snow-proof,
wind-proof and fire-proof

➢ Difficult to achieve automatic control to avoid exc ➢ Uneven distribution of light and temperature
essive labor and better operation due to irregular ➢ Limited PASSIVE heat storage of walls and soil
curved skeleton structure
➢ Short cultivation space in the south
➢ Difficult to replace and remove the snow

North Middle
South
 Background
SEG=Sliding cover Energy-saving solar Greenhouse
➢ (SEG) was studied and developed since 2010, which assembled with active heat
storage-retrieval.
➢ Allow the foundation for industrialized construction and realize automatic control.
➢ Promote also Soilless cultivation and Pest control for Safe Products.
➢ The Construction cost is higher but can be lowered by massive production and have a
better productivity, so lower capital cost per Kg.

Lighting ， Heat storage ， Heat preservation were three basic

elements of energy-saving SG according to the design theory by Prof. Li Tianlai.
 Materials and Methods
Liaoshen-type solar Greenhouse
(LSG)

Sliding cover Energy-saving

solar Greenhouse (SEG)
 Materials and Methods
➢ Calculation method for transmittance and uniformity of solar radiation
Ej
The transmittance of different measuring points and solar Irradiance: μj = E
o
σN σN
j=1 Ej (lj/S) 𝑙 j=1 Ej
μ= =
Eo S Eo

2
σN (E – E)
j=1 j
Solar radiation uniformity: η = 1− 𝑁−1
൙E

Fig.7 Section drawing of solar radiation measuring points. (A) SEG; and (B) LSG.
 Materials and Methods
➢ Design and calculation details of SEG and LSG
SEG (c) : Winter

SEG (c) : Summer

LSG (e)：

Fig.8 Receiving apertures of SEG and LSG for different solar altitudes. KX and KX' are
the aperture of SEG and LSG; c (circular) and e (elliptical) symbol for SEG and LSG;
1 and 2 symbol for winter and summer.
 Results and Analysis
➢ Analytical results of two designs
Winter α=24° Summer α=71°

Fig.9 SF is Shape factor, ea is aperture efficiency, EI is Energy Intercepted and CE is Captured Energy.
─: SFc; ─ · · ─ · · ─: SFe; ○: eac; ▲: eae; ═: EIc; ═ ═ ═: EIe; ─ · ─ · ─: CEc; ·····: CEe.

Table 2 SEG (c=circular) and LSG (e=elliptical) performance Radiation

receiving factors at noon (α1=24°& α2=71°) and daily sum at winter (Avg (α1))
Parameters SFc SFe eac eae EIc EIe CEc CEe
α1=24° 0.711 0.744 0.597 0.589 7.356 8.121 5.559 5.786
Avg (α1) 0.690 0.653 0.570 0.489 6.627 7.135 4.934 4.810
α2=71° 0.810 0.896 0.690 0.830 8.826 9.789 6.766 8.155
 Results and Validation Analysis
➢ Temporal and spatial variation of solar radiation

Fig.11 Diurnal variation of solar radiation and

10:10~13:10 transmittance ratios μc/μe under different
seasons. —: solar radiation intensity in SEG
BLUE; - - -: solar radiation intensity in LSG
RED; ×: solar radiation intensity outdoor; ●:
transmittance ratio μc/μe (right axis).

10:20~12:50

Fig.12 Diurnal variation of solar radiation intensity under different SGs in winner.
: 300~400 W m-2; : 200~300 W m-2; : 100~200 W m-2; : 0~100 W m-2.
 Results and Validation Analysis
➢ Temporal and spatial variation of solar radiation

Fig.13 & Fig.14 Solar radiation transmittance of five different points and solar radiation uniformity in winter & in summer. ■: measuring point A; ◆:
measuring point B; ▲: measuring point C; ●: measuring point D; ×: measuring point E; - - -: solar radiation uniformity η (Right axis).
 Results and Analysis
➢ Daily accumulated solar energy intercepted by greenhouses

Fig.15 Solar energy intercepted by SGs. —: solar energy accumulated in SEG

BLUE; - - -: solar energy accumulated in LSG RED; ●: winter; △: summer.

Winter: 6.15 MJ m-2 (9:00~15:00), 11.6% more than LSG; in favor of SEG
Summer: 13.85 MJ m-2 (8:00~17:00), 21.9% less than LSG; in favor of SEG
 Conclusion
• The design of SEG moved the ridge forward and increased the lighting roof
angle by 15°, which improves the aspect ratio for better winter energy gain,
the distribution uniformity from north to south and the temperature
performance.

• The SEG has adopted a form of sliding cover with thermal insulation steel
plate instead of the rolling thick night blanket, and this improves the ability
for dust removal for a steady cover transmissivity and the operational needs
for rain events.

• Further the SEG has the capability for automatic control and precision
operations, pro-active energy management and timely allocation (ongoing
research) and provides a new effective way for the intelligent management
and modernization of SGs in China.
 Future work
➢ The optimal designer will consider all alternative solutions from the simplistic plastic toll or net-
house for non-winter year-partial production to the most advanced year-round SEG or Plant Factory.
➢ Under such consumer market competition (for high quality and low cost) and under Global Trade
possibilities added with the environmental issues, make it a very hot topic today to firstly locate the
most weather advantageous places in each Region.
➢ Second comes the optimal design of structural and operating features of the greenhouse to meet
today’s production complex sustainability issues.
➢ Furthermore, other decision criteria such as Policies for food security and country self-sufficiency
may subsidize the extra investment in certain regions and markets to reduce operational cost and
viability. For any decision case the optimal, locality dependent, smart-design will remain a necessity.

Fig.3 Solar radiation and air

temperature outside in winter in
Liaoning Shenyang.
—: solar radiation RED;
- - : air temperature outside BLUE.
 Thank you！
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