PVT CLEAN ENERGY LLC — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase I: 8.13

Description

Thermal management and energy harvesting of a solar geothermal greenhouse forimproved plant productionThis project studies a proposed greenhouse that utilizes building integrated photovoltaic-thermal(BIPVT) panels coupled with geothermal energy for the dual synergetic benefits of: 1) improvedenergy harvesting and management toward zero-net-energy agriculture 2) controlledenvironmental agriculture (CEA) with light temperature and moisture for improved plantproduction. The advanced BIVPT panels with 60% transparent and 40% solar cell coverage willbe installed on the south-facing roof of a solar greenhouse to generate photovoltaics (PV)electricity and collect heat; the electricity can be stored in a battery array for electricity backupand directly used for extended LED light for lettuce growth; a passive bi-directional geothermalheat exchange system will store heat in summer and release in winter by a smart thermalmanagement system and; the sensing and control system will monitor energy usage anddistribution for smart operation. This project covers agriculturally-related manufacturingtechnology energy efficiency and alternative and renewable energy. Solar energy harvesting andthermal management with a passive bi-directional geothermal system will significantly improvethe energy efficiency of the system with the ultimate goal of a net-zero energy farm by using solarand geothermal energy. The 8-month Phase I Program will focus on the design and laboratory testof the solar geothermal components and assessment of the technical and economic feasibility ofthe greenhouse technology. A successful Phase I will lead to a scalable BIPVT-geothermalgreenhouse prototype for field testing in Phase II.