A light calculator for PV greenhouse (photovoltaic) simulates light, solar radiation, PAR and DLI reaching canopy in a solar greenhouse.
Nowadays, energy mix and renewable energy are crucial issues. Photovoltaic greenhouses are a part of the solution. However, most of projects are designed to maximise electricity generation without considering crop production.
Therefore, they often fail agronomically due to a lack of light / PAR radiation inside the greenhouse.
Hortinergy PV helps to size the photovoltaic greenhouse to find the best combination between crop production and electricity generation.
Hortinergy PV considers:
- Sun position: hourly position
- Greenhouse dimension, type, orientation…
- Structure (PV panel, frame) shade / transparency, absorption and inner/outer reflexion based on material properties
- Solar /PAR transmission of transparent cover material properties
- Shade from one chapel to another chapel according to sun position, cover…
- Crop and soil reflexion (including multi-reflexion to/from frame and transparent cover from/to canopy)
- Solar radiation /PAR going outside the greenhouse (roof, sides)
Inputs of the PV greenhouse calculator are:
- Greenhouse dimension, type, orientation, shape, symmetrical/ asymmetrical
- PV panel specification: single or double face, transparency
- Transparent cover specification
Outputs of the PV greenhouse simulator are:
- average hourly radiation / DLI reaching canopy in an Excel file
- monthly summary in a PDF report
We can provide, with Hortinergy PV Desktop, advanced calculation.
Input: any patchwork combining any types of solar panel and / or transparent cover.
Outputs: User designs a grid in the greenhouse. Software calculates solar radiation reaching canopy at any locating of the defined grid for a specific height. Output is an Excel file with hourly of solar radiation / PAR in each point of the grid.
