Abstract

The light of sun is undoubtedly, a unlimited resource and hence form a renewable energy .By
utilizing energy of sun solar greenhouses are built ,which are kind of enclosures where
vegetables ,crops and flowers are provided controlled environment to maintain required
temperature and photosynthesis process, under extreme climate conditions in order to optimize
plant growth and production that in turn ensures year-round production of plants and crops
,which may otherwise could not survive if temperature changes occurs to extreme level .
Several methods are available, which can be utilized to extend the length of seasonal changes
by weeks or even months and one of them is solar powered greenhouse, which provides
affordability to grow plants and crops for farmers .Different plant need different environment
and fundamental need of plants are light and temperature and some of species such as
vegetable, garnishes, Petunias, caladium, fresh cut flowers can be grown economically by
utilizing well designed solar green house. In this study, small solar greenhouse has been designed
with block diagram of the components of the circuit involved. This study also discusses
advantages and disadvantages of having a solar greenhouse system for plant growths. ,

Instroduction

Solar energize the world in multiple ways and its application to agriculture
sector modern farming is gaining momentum. This energy is utilized to increase
the productivity of the plants and therefore very useful when doing agriculture
and horticulture.

A variety of cold-hardy species, including vegetables, salad crops, restaurant

garnishes, and fresh cut flowers can be successfully and economically cultivated
in a properly designed solar-heated winter greenhouse with little or no added
heat. Of course, one could preserve summer crops by canning and drying, but
fresh vegetables in winter months would make a healthy diet more likely. This
study discusses basic principles of solar greenhouse design, as well as different
construction material options

Naturally, each plant type requires a little different type of environment for best
production, but basically the desirable needs are moderate temperature, light,
carbon dioxide, oxygen, mineral nutrients, air movement and water. The
greenhouses are generally made to provide two energy related needs which are
moderate temperature and light.

Solar energize the world in multiple ways and its application to agriculture
sector modern farming is gaining momentum. This energy is utilized to increase
the productivity of the plants and therefore very useful when doing agriculture
and horticulture. Solar greenhouses are the enclosures where crops, vegetables,
or flowers are provided proper environment under adverse climatic conditions

A variety of cold-hardy species, including vegetables, salad crops, restaurant

garnishes, and fresh cut flowers can be successfully and economically cultivated
in a properly designed solar-heated winter greenhouse with little or no added
heat. Of course, one could preserve summer crops by canning and drying, but
fresh vegetables in winter months would make a healthy diet more likely. This
study discusses basic principles of solar greenhouse design, as well as different
construction material options.

Abstract

Solar greenhouses are the enclosures where crops, vegetables, or flowers are
provided proper environment under adverse climatic conditions for plant
growth and production. Certainly all greenhouses receive necessary sunlight
from the sun required for. Greenhouses are also now a days used for growing
vegetables and flowers throughout the year even if their season is not there
since the light and temperature in the greenhouses can be controlled. Some
greenhouses are also designed to conserve the water resources. Naturally, each
plant type requires a little different type of environment for best production, but
basically the desirable needs are moderate temperature, light, carbon dioxide,
oxygen, mineral nutrients, air movement and water. The greenhouses are
generally made to provide two energy related needs which are moderate
temperature and light.

Introduction

5.1 INTRODUCTION Solar greenhouses are the enclosures where crops, vegetables, or flowers are
provided proper environment under adverse climatic conditions for plant grow~h and production.
Certainly all greenhouses receive necessary sunlight from the sun required for photosynthesis and also
supplementary heat during cold months from sun. In tropical countries, the solar insolation and ambient
temperatures are quite high and therefore summer greenhouses can be designed in such a way that the
inside temperature remains low and the plants receive sufficient of sunlight required for photosynthesis.
Greenhouses are also nowadays used for growing vegetables and flowers throughout the year even if
their season is not there since the light and temperature in the greenhouses can be controlled. Some
greenhouses are also designed to conserve the water resources. Naturally, each plant type requires a
little different type of environment for best production, but basically the desirable needs are moderate
temperature, light, carbon dioxide, oxygen, mineral nutrients, air movement and water. The
greenhouses are generally made to provide two energy related needs which are moderate temperature
and light. Temperature is a dominant environmental factor in plant growth and optimum temperatures
must be maintained to obtain optimum conditions during all stages of plant growth. The temperature
can be high but it should not be so high as to cause the metabolic change. The optimum temperature
can be altered by changes in water relations, light intensity, etc. and is related with environmental
factors. The light is absolutely essential for plant growth and development and the light intensity, light
spectral distribution and its duration affects the plant growth. Therefore one of the most essential
requirement of a greenhouse is the light transmission of solar radiation through the greenhouse covers
(glazings). Since in cold climates during the night times the inside temperature can go quite low,
auxiliary heating is required for maintaining the optimum temperature, therefore the greenhouse
structure should be well insulated thermally to reduce the cost of auxiliary heating. Moreover, the
greenhouse structure should have adequate strength to withstand the forces of wind, hail, and snow. In
a solar greenhouse, it is not only the light which

ism a i n t a i ned a tad e sir e die vel bu t the sol a r h eat i s t 0 b e stored for use at night and for cloudy
days, and therefore it differs from the ordinary glass house. In solar greenhouses, the solar energy is
collected and stored in a variety of ways and therefore the solar greenhouses differ in their designs.
Moreover, the solar collection storage system depends on many factors like climate, greenhouse size,
plant type, orientation, economics, and weather a new green house is to be planned or existing is to be
modified.Further there can be a design difference if the collection-storage and distribution system is by
passive means or by active means. The former greenhouses where the energy is stored directly in heavy
brick walls or rock walls and/or water pools or water containers exposed to solar radiation and heat is
distributed inside the greenhouse by natural means are known as passive greenhouses. In greenhouses
where solar energy is collected and stored and distributed and where some auxiliary energy is employed
either for circulation or for distribution or for both are known as active type. Generally a combination of
both active and passive features are employed in a solar greenhouse with an objective to minimize the
use of auxiliary energy either for heating the greenhouse or for collection-storage-distribution system.
Another class of greenhouse is known as the attached-greenhouse where a greenhouse is made onto a
house (house-attached) and where a free exchange of air between residence and greenhouse takes
place maintaining the house temperature at comfortable temperature and reducing the heat losses
from the greenhouse. One unique advantage of a solar greenhouse is the less use of the auxiliary energy
required to maintain the indoor air temperature required for plant growth compared to that required in
the conventional greenhouse. Other advantages of a solar greenhouse are: growing season can be
extended practically for a year at a much lower operating cost than conventional greenhouses, relatively
easy to build, uses simple technology and low in cost because of the use of low cost materials. There are
many materials recently developed, techniques perfected and designs developed which make a
greenhouse cost effective in certain situations. The parameters effecting the plant growth, material
properties, techniques modifying the greenhouse environment, types of greenhouses, economics, few
typical greenhouses and their performance prediction

though greenhouses are effective for growing vegetables in different

climates, heating them during long winter nights can prove quite
costly. To reduce heating costs, it’s worth considering a self-heating
greenhouse. A self-heating greenhouse does exactly what it says,
helping your plants thrive throughout the darker months and helping
you by saving energy.

The best way to regulate temperature within your greenhouse is to

build a heat sink. To create a heat sink you’ll need to create an
insulated pit in the bottom of the greenhouse; people commonly use
rubble to fill the pits, however bricks and gravel together work better
by reducing the volume of air pockets within the pit.  The heat sink is a
heat trap storing vast amounts of thermal energy from the hot air in
the greenhouse that would otherwise escape during the evening. To
aid the heat sink you may wish to draw hot air into the heat sink. Solar
power fans that operate during the daytime are an easy way to
accomplish this. As the greenhouse begins to cool down, the heat that
has been stored within the bricks and gravel or rubble is radiated,
heating the greenhouse once more.

Building your own heat sink is a simple process and is extremely cost
effective. The only materials you’ll need are the insulation and the
object that’s going to conduct the heat (for this you can use bricks,
rubble or other dense materials) and some piping.

How to build a heat sink

Step 1

Dig the area for the heat sink. The hole that you create will depend
upon the size of your greenhouse. An average greenhouse (10’ x 10’)
will only need a heat sink of approximately 3’ x 3’.

Dig the heat sink towards the centre of your greenhouse as this will
ensure that the heat is distributed evenly throughout your greenhouse.
The heat sink should also be centralized because if it comes into
contact with glass or outside of the greenhouse it’ll lose heat quickly,
making it less efficient.

Step 2

Fill the hole with dense materials such as slabs, bricks, concrete and
other materials. Due to the density of these materials they conduct
and store heat quite well.
 Step 3

Add the hollow pipe to the centre of your heat sink. The pipe shouldn’t
be too thin as this can prevent the natural diffusion of the warm air.
The pipe should also be wide enough that it will release an adequate
amount of warm air to heat your greenhouse.

Tips

 Build your greenhouse facing the sun.

 Paint a wall that’s opposite or adjacent to your greenhouse in white

paint to reflect sunlight and heat the greenhouse.

 Consider building beneath the earth, as with a walipini greenhouse, since

the temperature below the earth doesn’t vary by more than a few degrees
throughout the year.

Advantage

1-Control of temperature ,light ,CO2 and other minerals at your conveience with properly designed
Greenhouse

2-Avaialblility of renewable solar energy for year-round

3-Considerably low production cost as compare to greenhouse powered through grid electricity and
gas.

Plants and Crops can be grown anywhere.

3-Year round production in order to aquire maximum benefits

4-No ploughing needed

5-Increase production due to controlled environment

6-Minimizing production risk associated with non greenhouse crop

7-Secure environment and more vigilance ,which is usally not available when growing with
greenhouse
Disadvantages

1-It needs slightly high capital investment

2-It needs to be designed carefully for avoding heat losses

3-Established distribution and selling infrastructure should already be placed to avoid crop stocking

4-Trained staff is required for operating greenhouse.

5- Need to be powered by electricity in addition to sun to generate heat

Conclusion

Solar greenhouse because of its low production cost and good payback period has expended
itself commercially worldwide. This report has briefly introduced solar greenhouse and its
application in agriculture and horticulture .This study has also highlighted the advantages
and disadvantages of building a solar greenhouse with commercial and noncommercial
aspect. The focus of this study has however been to build a small greenhouse heating circuit
for household gardening in order to get first-hand information of this technology .Glazed
structure facing south and back wall facing north with 10x5x10 square feet was selected.
Photovoltaic cell was used to collect solar energy, which charged batteries where batteries
powered electric pump to circulate fluid in and out of greenhouse with heat sink ,ultimately
warming the environment around.

Reference :

[1] Solar Power Greenhouses by Shivia Gorjian and Teymour Tavakkoli Hashjin,2011

[2] Solar Greenhouses by H.P.Garj