Thermo-environomic assessment of an integrated greenhouse with an adjustable solar photovoltaic blind system
T. Alinejad, Mahmood Yaghoubi, Amir Vadiee
Abstract
Optimum energy consumption and renewable energy utilization reduce environmental impacts and are cost-effective. They are the key aspects of achieving sustainable energy management, such as in the agricultural industry. The contribution of the horticultural section in the global energy demand is approximately 2%, and among its various sections, greenhouses are one of the main systems in modern agriculture that have a great share on energy consumption. In this study, a rose greenhouse is examined and modeled in EnergyPlus as a greenhouse reference (GR). Validation of the developed greenhouse model is carried out with a site experimental measurement. Using the GR as the basic model, 14 various configurations of greenhouses have been assessed by considering a solar photovoltaic blind system (SPBS) in checkerboard arrays 1 m above the greenhouse roof. These modified greenhouses called solar-blind greenhouses (SBGs) have different shading rates and SPBS sizes. To perform a Thermo-environomic assessment, the effects of various parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, natural gas consumption, electricity consumption, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction, are studied. Results indicate that covering 19.2% of the roof, with no significant change in the illumination level on the plant canopy, will annually reduce natural gas consumption, electricity demand, and CO2 emission by 3.57%, 45.5%, and 30.56 kg/m2, respectively. Moreover, with the SPBS, the annual electricity production is approximated at 42.7 kWh/m2.