Solar Greenhouses
All About Solar Greenhouses

Greenhouses come in a wide array of styles, types and materials. Today, people are becoming more environmentally friendly, by investing more in solar panels and energy. You will find that you can cut costs by investing in solar greenhouses. These can be a worthwhile investment, since depend on a number of crops you grow for food.

What is a Solar Greenhouse?

A solar greenhouse is described as a structure that houses plants and collects solar energy. Solar greenhouses have a specific purpose. It can store heat, utilizing this during the night when the temperature is lower. The heat can work well during winter, cloudy days and the cold season. You can provided the required temperature to the plants to sustain growth even during the cold months. The good thing about solar greenhouse setups is that you have several options that suit your specific needs.

The Types

Solar greenhouses can stand independently. These are ideal for large production setups. The freestanding ones are excellent for commercial production. These can produce crops like herbs, vegetables, fruits and ornamental flowers. These usually appear in a couple of main designs namely the Quonset type and the shed type.

The Quonset type is described as a low-cost greenhouse. It appears like a underground pit with a tunnel and a Quonset-shaped frame. The setup has one or two layers of plastic film. This type can save you as much as 40% of heating fuel. The shed type incorporates a very long axis that runs from the east towards the west. There is a wall facing south glazed to gather the maximum level of energy from the sun. The wall facing to the north is insulated to prevent loss of heat. The features help you determine the difference between a solar greenhouse from a traditional version.

More on the Types

Solar greenhouses can be connected to the house if you choose the lean-to type. The attached solar greenhouse can be described as the structures that create some room that sticks out from the house. These are very good for growing herbs and transplants. The solar greenhouse can be classified as either passive or active. Either type uses various resources, but serves a universal purpose. Some places have longer cold months, so individuals have to rely on passive solar greenhouses, via an electric heating system or gas.

The plants can therefore be protected from the cold longer. You can maintain good production rates, regardless of the weather conditions. The use of heating systems of the setup can be very affordable and can be used optimally if there are crops of high value to be produced. The active setup uses supplemental energy, by transferring the solar heated air from the storage space to the other regions of the greenhouse.

About the Design

Managing and keeping a regular greenhouse does not change much compared to the solar greenhouse. There are some features that matter, though. Solar greenhouses have oriented glazing to receive the highest solar heat, especially during winter. The materials are made to reduce heat loss. Heat storing materials are used. There is extra insulation when sunlight is absent. The solar greenhouse relies heavily on natural ventilation to cool the plants during extra hot days and the summer.

Where Heat is Stored

The solar heat storage is the major feature when you design the solar greenhouse. There should be enough solar heat stored to keep it warm even during cold nights. The basic method used to keep the energy is to place concrete and rocks directly in the sunlight to keep the heat. Cinder block walls located at the north end of the greenhouse can be used to store heat. Dark-colored ceramic floors can be used to keep the heat. Flooring and walls not used for heat absorption needs to be colored lightly. This is done so that heat is reflected and light is properly distributed to all the plants.

Proper Management

The amount of heat stored can be determined by the proper management of the greenhouse. The greenhouse full of structures and plants can keep heat easily. Composts can help the heat storage objectives, since these create carbon dioxide within the atmosphere. The microorganisms in the compost give enhancements in plant production.