WHY self-sustaining Greenhouse? - PowerPoint Presentation

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WHY self-sustaining Greenhouse?

Prof.

Sean MacDonald

Spring 2016

By: Milor Louis

ECON. 2505ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMY

Objective

We will discuss:1. Introduction

2. Intended field trip research3. what is a conventional greenhouse

4. How it works5. Problems6. Solutions

7. Breakdown of each system8. Benefits

9. Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

A greenhouse works by greatly increasing the growing season for a variety of vegetables. It does this by controlling temperatures, light, and even humidity.

The purpose of my research was to investigate how a self sustaining greenhouse system can improve the actual conventional greenhouse.

Intended field trip

Located at Gowanus

Source:

Gothamgreens.com

Gotham Greenhouse facilities

Source:

Gothamgreens.com

What is a greenhouse ?

A greenhouse is a glass structure house

in which the temperature is maintained within a desired range, which it is used for cultivating tender plants or growing plants out of season

.

Source: Google

Images

How it works

Source: Google

Images

Problem

Source: Google

Images

Cont. Problem

Source: Google

Images

solutions

This can be corrected by having an automation system that can monitor the weather while controlling the inside temperature simultaneously by using temperature sensor.

The implementation can be done by having an integration heating and cooling system.

heating system

A greenhouse heating system

is important for maintaining a uniform warm temperature throughout the entire interior of a greenhouse despite colder temperatures outside of it.Sensors

can be used to gather data in real time about the temperature and humidity of the crop zone, and this data is sent to the computer which uses software to increase or reduce the temperature of the greenhouseConvection

Convection heat transfer is the physical movement of a warm gas or liquid to a colder location. Heat transfer by convection includes not only the movement of air but also the movement of water vapor.

RadiationRadiation heat transfer occurs between two bodies without direct contact or the need for a medium such as air. Like light, heat radiation follows a straight line and is either reflected, transmitted or absorbed upon striking an object.Conduction

Heat is conducted either through a substance or between objects by direct physical contact.

Any

heating system that provides uniform temperature control without releasing material harmful to the plants is

acceptable.

Cooling system

Ventilation reduces inside temperature during sunny days and supplies carbon dioxide, which is vital to the plants’ photosynthesis. Another advantage of ventilation is to remove warm, moist air and replace it with drier

air.Exhaust Fans in End Wall

Fans in the end wall are the most common method of forced ventilation. The air enters through the motorized shutter (winter) and is pulled through the greenhouse by the exhaust fans.

Pressure Fans in End WallsThe fans in the end wall are usually two-speed and controlled by separate thermostats

Ventilation for greenhouses that are 100 feet or shorter can be accomplished by mounting pressure fans, which blow air into the house, high in the end walls.Natural

Ventilation

Some greenhouses can be ventilated using side and ridge vents, which run the full length of the house and can be opened as needed to provide the desired temperature. This method uses thermal gradients, creating circulation due to warm air rising

Environmental Control of a Greenhouse System using NI Embedded Systems Technology (15s to2mn)

Source: youtube.com

The last video

Source:

youtube.com

benefits

This system is much more beneficial. According to Gotham Greens, this production techniques are capable of producing over 50% more crop than conventional greenhouses while using 25% less energy per pound of crop

produced.This system increasing food security.

Also, the 170,000 square feet of greenhouses that Gotham Greens has produce yields equivalent to over 100 acres of conventional field farming.

Therefore, this method yields 20-30 times more product per acre than field production while eliminating any use of arable land.Conversion, a 17000

Sq. feet= 3 acresA 25’ x 90’ greenhouse = 2,250 sf.Conventional greenhouse make a Profit of

$3,600

All year long sustaining

greenhouse make a profit of

$

10,700

Environmental benefit

By having more crops and plants, this will help reduce CO2 in the environment and shoot out more Oxygen.

Also, Because of the proximity of this system to the destination, it will eliminate the need for long-distance, refrigerated food transportation.

Finally, these facilities can be supplied with on site solar panels and high efficiency design

features, such as LED lighting, advanced glazing, passive ventilation, and thermal curtains. This will sharply reduce electrical and heating demand.

Conclusion

The advantages of this greenhouse compared to standard greenhouses:The biggest advantage of this

self-sustaining passive greenhouse is that it offers a closed controlled environment where the water is always recirculated.The second advantage of this greenhouse is that it is self-sustaining, it needs only minimal human intervention. This is possible by using embedded solutions (like an

eBox) for process control and environment monitoring.The third advantage of this greenhouse is that it is passive, all the energy it needs can be produced locally by photovoltaic panels.

The fourth advantage of this greenhouse is that it is eco-friendly, it uses only environmental-friendly technology like renewable energy sources, for heating and cooling it uses a heat pump and not traditional heating and cooling equipment.

Work scited

Gotham

Greens Local Produce http://gothamgreens.com

/Giuliano Vox, Meir Teitel

, Alberto (Feb, 2010)Sustainable greenhouse system in “Sustainable Agriculture Technology Planning and Management.”G.A.

Giacomelli, S. Sase, R. Cramer, J. Hoogeboom, A. MacKenzie, (Sept, 2012)Greenhouse Production System for People

Retrieve from

Googlescholar.com

Thierry

Boulard

( October, 2007)

Greenhouse-crop system control for a sustainable plant

production.

Retrieve from Googlescholar.com

Thank You for listening!

ANY QUESTIONS?