ISHS Acta Horticulturae 148: III International Symposium on Energy in Protected Cultivation
THE DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF A SOLAR-CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE SYSTEM |
| Authors: | G.H. Stickford, D.K. Landstrom, F.E. Jakob, W.H. Wilkinson, S.G. Talbert |
| Abstract:
A controlled environment agriculture system has been designed by Battelle for year-round production of lettuce and other vegetable crops in hot, arid climates. The unique feature of this design is that all the energy needs of the system, including ventilation and cooling in the summer months and heating in the winter, are supplied by solar energy. The system uses solar energy in three ways: directly for vegetable growth, as electrical energy from photovoltaic arrays, and as thermal energy for heating or cooling (via absorption chillers). An engineering model of this system has been developed to conduct component sizing and design trade-off studies. This computer model, called SOLGEM, provides a dynamic performance simulation of an enclosed growing system in which the ventilating and air-conditioning power required to maintain ideal growing conditions can be provided entirely by solar energy. The model is made up of 11 primary subroutines which simulate the performance of the major components of the system. Each component is interconnected such that the performance of one component is sensitive to all other components. The model has been used to assist in the design of a 5 hectare (12 acre) commercial vegetable growing system near the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and a smaller 0.37 hectare (1 acre) engineering field test facility for Riyadh or Phoenix, Arizona. The system includes a liquid-filled shade control roof, a hydroponic growing system, an evaporation-cooled ventilation system, a chilled or heated recirculation loop, solar thermal collectors, an absorption chiller, a photovolotaic array, abattery storage system and a reverse osmosis desalination system. | |
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