Chinese researchers develop light-splitting solar greenhouse roof
Chinese researchers have developed a
new type of light-splitting greenhouse roof that can allow visible light to
enter while converting near-infrared light into electricity.
A group of researchers from the
Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, affiliated
with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, developed this new
greenhouse covering structure based on the solar spectral splitting
utilization, according to China Science Daily.
Visible light, with a wavelength
from 400 nanometers (nm) to 780 nm, is critical for driving the photosynthesis
process of greenhouse plants, but near-infrared light, with a wavelength from
780 nm to 2,500 nm, has little contributions to plant growth and may cause
greenhouse overheating.
Test conducted by the research group
showed that the new solar roof can transmit visible light with an all-day
transmissivity of 40 percent, and convert near-infrared light into electricity
at the same time, ensuring normal growth of greenhouse plants with less
consumption of cooling energy.
The electricity generated by the
roof, with a full-day photovoltaic efficiency of 6.88 percent, can also power
the greenhouse's daily operation.
The research finding was published
in the journal Energy Conversion and Management.