How to use sunlight efficiently in greenhouse

The growth of all things depends on the sun. In the growth of plants, only a few wavelengths of light participate in photosynthesis. Can we use more light? Chinese researchers have proposed a new type of greenhouse covering structure, which realizes the efficient use of solar energy in greenhouse. Relevant research results were published in Energy Conversion and Management.
The principle of multispectral utilization of the covering structure of light splitting greenhouse.
It is understood that in facility agriculture, 400-780 nm visible light in the solar spectrum can directly participate in the photosynthetic reaction process of crops, which belongs to the photosynthetic effective radiation, while 780-2500 nm near-infrared light is the main factor causing indoor high temperature in the greenhouse, and 30% of the cooling energy consumption is required for high temperature in summer. Therefore, how to effectively use near-infrared light is of great significance for reducing greenhouse energy consumption and improving solar spectral efficiency.
How to improve the utilization rate of sunlight in facility agriculture, the research team proposed a new greenhouse covering structure based on the spectral frequency division utilization and the principle of composite parabolic concentrator, and carried out structural optimization and performance analysis. The results show that the covering structure can transform near-infrared light into electric energy storage while passing through photosynthetic effective radiation, which can not only ensure the normal growth of facility plants, but also reduce the energy consumption for greenhouse cooling,
The electricity generated can also provide energy sources for the daily operation of the greenhouse.
The research was completed by the Facility Plant Environment Engineering Innovation Team of the Institute of Agricultural Environment and Sustainable Development of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and was supported by the National Key R&D Plan, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and other projects. It is reported that the research results provide a new idea for improving the comprehensive utilization efficiency of full spectrum solar energy in greenhouse.