Semi-transparent PV coatings for greenhouse application - Greenhouse-PV

Project summary

The increasing global population places demands on food production that cannot be met by traditional agriculture and today availability of food for all people in the world is one of the major challenges for humanity. Existing agriculture has some negative consequences, such as deforestation, unsustainable water usage, and contamination of water and soil with pesticides. One of the promising approaches for effective land usage, and the reduction the water and pesticides consumption is greenhouse-based agriculture. However, extensive use of greenhouses has one major limitation which is higher energy consumption compared to traditional agriculture. Therefore, the goal of this project is development semi-transparent solar cells that can be integrated into greenhouse constructions and serve as a source of electricity. The project will develop a concept for Net Zero Energy Greenhouses assuring a viable solution for sustainable agriculture and reducing dependency on fossil fuels.