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Project Goal: Development and exploitation of an innovative and symbiotic management of biogas and greenhouse plants, where the greenhouse will be heated exclusively by renewable energy and will utilize by-products of the biogas plant, such as carbon dioxide from combustion
Current Stage: Pilot greenhouse construction
Project Goal: Microgreens and edible flowers production in plant factory with minimized carbon footprint
Current Stage: Concluded
Consumer and trade organisations demand year-round healthy diets including fresh, high quality vegetables from local producers. However, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) of heating high-tech greenhouses in northern countries are higher than transporting vegetables produced in southern Europe in unheated tunnels. The aim of this work was to assess GHG emissions when renewable energy sources were used for heating and cooling a solar collector greenhouse (SCG) in comparison with a conventional greenhouse (RG). Thermal energy generated in the SCG from solar energy was stored in an insulated water tank and different strategies were examined: no reused energy; reused energy; reused energy and excess energy transfer. Based on the semi-closed climate control strategy set in SCG and associated higher CO2 concentrations, higher marketable yields were achieved (+22%) compared to the production in the RG. The results further showed that the cumulative energy demand of the SCG can be lowered by approximately 44% compared to that needed in the RG. The carbon footprint (CF) and the water use efficiency were improved by 24% and 28%, respectively. If excess thermal energy generated by the SCG could be considered as export energy, a negative carbon footprint of −0.7 CO2-eq kg−1 can be reached. The latter case shows that the CF can be reduced to levels of unheated greenhouses. As such, vegetable production in solar collector greenhouses can be more sustainable than in conventional greenhouses since energy and water, as well as fertiliser and associate CO2 emissions, can be saved.
Georgios K. Ntinas; Dennis Dannehl; Ingo Schuch; Thorsten Rocksch; Uwe Schmidt. Sustainable greenhouse production with minimised carbon footprint by energy export. Biosystems Engineering 2019, 189, 164 -178.
AMA StyleGeorgios K. Ntinas, Dennis Dannehl, Ingo Schuch, Thorsten Rocksch, Uwe Schmidt. Sustainable greenhouse production with minimised carbon footprint by energy export. Biosystems Engineering. 2019; 189 ():164-178.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGeorgios K. Ntinas; Dennis Dannehl; Ingo Schuch; Thorsten Rocksch; Uwe Schmidt. 2019. "Sustainable greenhouse production with minimised carbon footprint by energy export." Biosystems Engineering 189, no. : 164-178.
In this study, we evaluated crop productivity and physiology during the hydroponic cultivation of medium-sized and cherry tomato crops, using two experimental greenhouses. Of the greenhouses, one used dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) technology for covering material, whilst the other, a conventional one (CONV), was covered using diffusion glass as a control. The effect of the colored lighting that resulted from the DSSC glass filtering on the physiological response of the crops was examined by measuring the plant transpiration rate and leaf chlorophyll content. Furthermore, we evaluated potential differences in the concentration of phytochemical compounds, such as ascorbic acid, lycopene, and quality characteristics. Tomato plants in the DSSC greenhouse presented lower early and total yields, as well as lower chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, and transpiration rate values, especially in the medium-sized fruits, as compared to the CONV greenhouse. The DSSC greenhouse showed significantly higher values of bioactive compounds for both the cherry and medium-sized tomato, with increases in the ascorbic acid, lycopene, β-carotene, and total carotenoids concentration, which ranged from 6% to 26%. Finally, for both the hybrids, the 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) tests showed circa 10% and 5% increase, respectively, in the DSSC greenhouse.
Georgios K. Ntinas; Kalliopi Kadoglidou; Nektaria Tsivelika; Konstantinos Krommydas; Apostolos Kalivas; Parthenopi Ralli; Maria Irakli. Performance and Hydroponic Tomato Crop Quality Characteristics in a Novel Greenhouse Using Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Technology for Covering Material. Horticulturae 2019, 5, 42 .
AMA StyleGeorgios K. Ntinas, Kalliopi Kadoglidou, Nektaria Tsivelika, Konstantinos Krommydas, Apostolos Kalivas, Parthenopi Ralli, Maria Irakli. Performance and Hydroponic Tomato Crop Quality Characteristics in a Novel Greenhouse Using Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Technology for Covering Material. Horticulturae. 2019; 5 (2):42.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGeorgios K. Ntinas; Kalliopi Kadoglidou; Nektaria Tsivelika; Konstantinos Krommydas; Apostolos Kalivas; Parthenopi Ralli; Maria Irakli. 2019. "Performance and Hydroponic Tomato Crop Quality Characteristics in a Novel Greenhouse Using Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Technology for Covering Material." Horticulturae 5, no. 2: 42.