Implementation of photovoltaics on greenhouses and shading effect to plant growth

A. Kavga, G. Trypanagnostopoulos, A. Koulopoulos, Y. Tripanagnostopoulos
Greenhouses require optimum combination of solar radiation, heating, cooling and ventilation to produce a quality crop within a predictable and repeatable time schedule. Apart of the use of conventional energy sources to cover the energy needs of the greenhouses, there can be applied renewable energy sources and among them photovoltaics. The PV panels can be mounted on greenhouse roof and can provide electricity all year round, contributing to the electrical and thermal load of the greenhouses. The installation of PV panels on the greenhouse's roof results in the shading of the internal space and therefore to the reduction of the plant lighting into the greenhouse. In this paper we present experimental results from the cultivation of lettuce and Eruca sativa under the weather conditions in the south-west of Peloponnese, Greece, to study the crop growing, affected by the shading from the installation of PV panels on the greenhouse roof. Two identical, small scale experimental greenhouses of same dimensions were used, placed side by side. The two greenhouses were implemented with and without PV panels correspondingly. The design, energy performance and plant growth results from the two greenhouses are presented, regarding the effect of PV shading to the cultivated plants.
Kavga, A., Trypanagnostopoulos, G., Koulopoulos, A. and Tripanagnostopoulos, Y. (2019). Implementation of photovoltaics on greenhouses and shading effect to plant growth. Acta Hortic. 1242, 749-756
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2019.1242.111
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2019.1242.111
greenhouse, photovoltaics, energy performance, solar energy, plant growth
English

Acta Horticulturae