A greenhouse that can not only grow crops inside but also generate electricity is one of the most innovative and efficient developments for sustainable agriculture. These types of greenhouses, known as smart solar greenhouses , exist and are changing the way food is produced. In them, crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers grow with the same quality and quantity as in traditional greenhouses, but with an added advantage: they generate energy.
Would you like to know how these solar greenhouses work and why they represent the future of agriculture? Below we explain in detail.
What are smart solar greenhouses?
Smart solar greenhouses are structures that allow crops to grow while simultaneously generating electricity using advanced photovoltaic technologies. These greenhouses capture sunlight through specially designed solar panels to generate electricity without compromising plant growth.
The advantage of these greenhouses lies in the solar panels used. Unlike conventional panels, these photovoltaic panels have a transparent or semi-transparent design that allows the wavelengths useful for photosynthesis to reach the plants. This ensures that the plants receive enough sunlight to grow, while the unused light is converted into electrical energy.
Thanks to this technology, smart greenhouses are not only energy self-sufficient, but can also reduce energy and water consumption compared to traditional greenhouses.
How do solar greenhouses work?
These greenhouses use wavelength-selective photovoltaic (WSPV) panels. These panels are designed to capture sunlight and convert it into electricity more efficiently than conventional solar panels. The key to their operation is that they select the wavelengths of light that plants don't need for photosynthesis, allowing the rest of the useful light to reach the crops.
The panels are coated with a magenta luminescent dye , which absorbs light energy and transfers it to the photovoltaic strips. These strips convert the solar energy into electricity, which can be used to power systems inside the greenhouse, such as irrigation, heating, or ventilation.
Furthermore, this technology is cheaper compared to traditional panels, which would mean significant cost savings for farmers in the long run. WSPV panels cost approximately 40% less than conventional silicon panels, costing $0,65 per watt generated.
The development of these panels has been carried out by researchers from the University of California at Santa Cruz , who have successfully tested their efficiency in crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, limes, peppers and strawberries, among others.
Benefits of using solar greenhouses
The use of smart solar greenhouses not only represents advances in energy generation and the reduction of energy costs, but also offers other significant benefits:
- Saving water: These greenhouses have been shown to reduce water consumption by 5% compared to conventional greenhouses. This is because plants require less water to grow under the filtered light from the solar panels.
- Climate resilience: By relying less on external energy sources and being able to generate their own electricity, these greenhouses are more resilient to climate change and energy shortages.
- Emission reduction: Solar greenhouses can contribute to reducing global CO2 emissions as they use solar energy instead of fossil fuels to power their electrical systems.
In addition to these direct benefits, solar greenhouses could help mitigate another major environmental problem: the use of plastics in greenhouse agriculture. By reducing the need for external energy, these greenhouses would allow for more efficient use of plastic resources, and even the possibility of recycling the plastics used in their construction and operation.
Do crops grow better in solar greenhouses?
One of the big questions surrounding solar greenhouses has been whether their use would negatively affect crops. However, tests conducted by researchers confirm that solar greenhouses not only do not harm plant growth, but in some cases crops grow better than in traditional greenhouses.
In tests conducted with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and strawberries, 80% of the crops were unaffected . Furthermore, 20% of the crops grew even better under the solar panels. This could be due to the sunlight regulation provided by the panels, allowing light conditions to be adjusted to the specific needs of each plant.
Another positive aspect is that the plants have shown greater efficiency in the use of water. This is especially important in areas where water is scarce, such as in southern Spain and California, where some of the first prototypes of solar greenhouses have already been implemented.
Solar greenhouse projects in agriculture
Globally, solar greenhouses are already changing the way food is grown. In California, the University of Santa Cruz has led several projects implementing these systems in large-scale crops. In Europe, countries like Italy and France have also implemented pilot projects for solar greenhouses.
For example, in Italy, the Puglia project has used solar greenhouses to grow tomatoes, while in France, the company Sun'Agri has implemented this technology in strawberry greenhouses. In Spain, there are projects in the southern region of Almería, where solar panels have begun to be used in agricultural areas that would allow the production of enough energy to supply not only the greenhouses, but also the surrounding communities.
As far as regulations are concerned, it is clear that government support is vital for this type of project to become widespread and standard. Agrovoltaics, i.e. the combination of agriculture and solar energy, is one of the fastest growing areas in the field of renewable energy and sustainability.
The future of solar greenhouses
Experts agree that smart solar greenhouses represent a significant evolution in modern agriculture. They not only enable more sustainable food production, but can also help mitigate the effects of climate change and resource scarcity.
The implementation of these greenhouses is still in its early stages, but as the technology advances and costs come down, their use is likely to become more widespread. Countries such as Spain, with large areas of crops under plastic, could benefit greatly from this technology.
This is a promising solution to address the challenges of combining agricultural production and energy needs in an increasingly populated and resource-depleted world.