Influence of opaque photovoltaic shading on microclimate and growth of strawberry in greenhouses [electronic resource].

Includes bibliographic reference.

The effect of photovoltaic PV panels on strawberry growth and the greenhouse microclimate has been studied meanwhile;
the annually generated electric energies were estimated by the PolySun program. The peak power of the opaque PV was 310 W.
There were four PV panels distributed on the top of greenhouse south plastic roof at a vertical distance of 0.08 m as
an isolated air layer under the PV panels at a tilt angle of 30 ?. Meanwhile at a horizontal distance between panels
of 1.1 m to allow the solar light entering greenhouse. Results revealed that the greenhouse air temperature and solar
radiation under the un-shaded greenhouse were higher than that of the shaded greenhouse by opaque PV. Moreover,
the opaque PV temperatures ranged from 45 ?C to 47.5 ?C. The simulation results showed that the annual generated
electric energy of the opaque PV panels was 3195 kWh which could cover approximately 30.4% of the annual electric
energy demand for environmental control. In addition, there were no significant differences in the number of leaves,
flowers including fruits, and chlorophyll contents between strawberries under the shaded and un-shaded greenhouses.
In a word, the integration of opaque PV at a specific distribution is highly recommended to provide the required light
for photosynthesis and energy for greenhouse without harming the growth of strawberries.
Keywords: Opaque photovoltaic; Strawberry; Shading; Growth; Solar radiation; Air temperature

Summary in Arabic.