Thermo-environomic assessment of an integrated greenhouse with an adjustable solar photovoltaic blind system

Abstract Optimum energy consumption and renewable energy utilization reduce environmental impacts and are cost-effective. They are the key aspects of achieving sustainable energy management, such as in the agricultural industry. The contribution of the horticultural section in the global energy demand is approximately 2%, and among its various sections, greenhouses are one of the main systems in modern agriculture that have a great share on energy consumption. In this study, a rose greenhouse is examined and modeled in EnergyPlus as a greenhouse reference (GR). Validation of the developed greenhouse model is carried out with a site experimental measurement. Using the GR as the basic model, 14 various configurations of greenhouses have been assessed by considering a solar photovoltaic blind system (SPBS) in checkerboard arrays 1 m above the greenhouse roof. These modified greenhouses called solar-blind greenhouses (SBGs) have different shading rates and SPBS sizes. To perform a Thermo-environomic assessment, the effects of various parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, natural gas consumption, electricity consumption, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction, are studied. Results indicate that covering 19.2% of the roof, with no significant change in the illumination level on the plant canopy, will annually reduce natural gas consumption, electricity demand, and CO2 emission by 3.57%, 45.5%, and 30.56 kg/m2, respectively. Moreover, with the SPBS, the annual electricity production is approximated at 42.7 kWh/m2.