I-Corps: Wavelength-selective Photovoltaics for Higher Performance Greenhouses at Low Added Cost

University Of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz CA

Investigators

Abstract

A cost effective and highly-durable wavelength-selective photovoltaic (PV) panel is being developed that simultaneously facilitates plant growth, reduces cooling requirements and generates power at less than $1/watt incremental cost. The greenhouse uses a luminescent sheet laminated to the glass panels with narrow Si photovoltaic strips to selectively absorb the green portion of the solar spectrum that is not used by plants. Green light is then selectively downshifted to red light to match to the photosynthetically active region for plants and the efficiency maximum of Silicon-based photovoltaic cells. The color tuning associated with the conversion of green to red light has been shown to facilitate fruit production in tomatoes and increase flower production. A prototype greenhouse will be built with suitable control to test the technology under 6-months of California aging conditions and which can respond to customer needs. This proposal will create a greenhouse that can be remotely monitored via the web to provide results on both plant growth and the energy production. Creating energy-neutral greenhouses that can pay for themselves in a few years of operation will open up the ability to grow healthy food in locations where it is currently not economically viable due to the local climate of available resources. This product will target the rapidly growing-local food industry that saves natural resources by growing food close to where it is consumed. Natural resources are saved by avoiding food transportation costs, by using the same land to provide both food and electrical energy, and by more efficiently utilizing water resources. The commercialization of this power-generating greenhouse will open up a new avenue for PV deployment and potentially create U.S. based manufacturing jobs by utilizing our existing window production lines and knowledge.