Dynamic Energy Exchange Modelling for a Plastic-Covered Multi-Span Greenhouse Utilizing a Thermal Effluent from Power Plant

• Main Authors: Sang-yeon Lee, In-bok Lee, Seung-no Lee, Uk-hyeon Yeo, Jun-gyu Kim, Rack-woo Kim, Cristina Decano-Valentin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
• Series: Agronomy
• Subjects: crop energy exchange; dynamic energy model; greenhouse; information and communication technology; thermal effluent
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/8/1461

To utilize the energy in the thermal effluent, many attempts have been made to use the thermal effluent for agricultural facilities such as greenhouses. As the first step, it is important to estimate the energy loads of the greenhouse for deciding a suitable scale for the heating and cooling. Then, it is available to estimate the energy efficiency of the thermal effluent heat pump system installed in the greenhouse. Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to design and validate an energy model of the experimental greenhouse growing Irwin mangoes and to estimate the annual and maximum energy loads using building energy simulation (BES). Field experiments were conducted in a multi-span plastic-covered greenhouse growing Irwin mangoes to measure the internal environments of the greenhouse and crop characteristics. The energy exchange model of the greenhouse considering crop, cladding, heat pump was developed using BES. The BES model was validated using the data measured at field experiments. The designed model was found to be able to provide satisfactory estimates of the changes of the internal air temperature of the greenhouse (<i>R</i>² = 0.94 and <i>d</i> = 0.97). The hourly energy loads computed by using the validated model were used to analyse the periodic and maximum energy loads according to the growth stage of the cultivated crops. Finally, the energy costs were compared according to the type of energy source based on the calculated annual energy loads. The average energy cost when using the thermal effluent—heat pump system was found to be 68.21% lower than that when a kerosene boiler was used.