Project R 4-1

Optimization of Solar Power Generation

for Desert Climate Site Refinery

PV-Greenhouse Project

Final Report (1998-2003)

Dr. A. Al-Ibrahim, PI
Dr. Naif Al-Abbadi, CI
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Helal, RI
Eng. Mohammad Alghoul, RI

KACST
KACST
KSU
PEC

SUMMARY
Agricultural efforts are normally carried in remote area where electricity
from national electric grid may not exist or grid extension is expensive.
Therefore, a stand-alone power supply is always in demand therein. Cooling
and pumping equipments dominate the demand for electricity in greenhouses.
The demand for electricity occurs during the times when solar radiation is
available and in abundance; such excellent harmony between demand and
supply elucidate the feasibility of using solar energy. Therefore, utilization of
solar energy for powering greenhouses in desert climate site refinery is
considered amongst the important applications of solar energy and carries great
significance and success.

More importantly, Saudi Arabia is equipped with

several oil refinery sites that may find this application useful.

The main

objective of this research project is to quantify the potential of using

photovoltaic (PV) system to power greenhouses.

The greenhouse under

investigation is located at al-Muzahmyah research station of the King

Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). The PV-greenhouse
system consisted of the 14.72 kW PV arrays, battery storage system, power
conditioning system, data measurement and collection system and 9x39 fiber
glass greenhouse. During the operation of the system the potential harmony
between the solar radiation availability and the demand for electricity was
studied and quantified to optimize the PV-greenhouse for desert climate site
refinery operation. Greenhouse was in full operation since July 2000. Data
Acquisition System (DAS) was in operation since Nov 2000. Five plantation
cycles were completed and the sixth one is in progress and expected to
complete by the end of February 2003. The performance of the PV subsystem,
battery subsystem and greenhouse cooling system were satisfactory.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................
1. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................... 1
2. OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................... 3
3. LITRATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................... 4
3.1 THE PHOTOVOLTAIC INDUSTRY AND APPLICATIONS .................................................. 4
3.2 GREENHOUSES ENVIRONMENT CONTROL.................................................................... 7
4. MATERIALS AND METHODS ................................................................................. 9
4.1 POWER SYSTEM ......................................................................................................... 9
4.2 GREENHOUSE SYSTEM ............................................................................................. 10
4.3 CROP DESCRIPTION................................................................................................... 11
4.3 MEASUREMENT AND DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM .................................................. 12
5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ............................................................................... 15
5.1 PLANTATION CYCLES ............................................................................................... 15
5.2 GREENHOUSE ENVIRONMENT................................................................................... 20
5.2.1 Greenhouse Typical Operation........................................................................ 20
5.2.2 Fan-pad cooling system performance.............................................................. 22
5.2.3 Cooling Pads Clogging.................................................................................... 23
5.2.4 Greenhouse shading......................................................................................... 25
5.2.5 Cooling Fans Operation Optimization ............................................................ 26
5.2.6 Greenhouse Water Consumption ..................................................................... 30
5.2.7 Greenhouse Heating ........................................................................................ 33
5.3 PV SYSTEM PERFORMANCE ..................................................................................... 36
5.3.1 Daily Operation Profiles.................................................................................. 36
5.3.2 Six-days Operation Profiles............................................................................. 37
6. CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................................... 49
REFERENCES................................................................................................................ 53

APPENDIX A

Greenhouse System Specifications

APPENDIX B

Solar Cell Module Specifications

APPENDIX C

Measuring System Specifications

1. INTRODUCTION
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia extends from Azimuth 50 to Azimuth 35
and from latitude 17 in the south to latitude 32 in the north. Because of its
geographical location and landscape, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is blessed
with the abundant availability of solar radiation. Statistically, solar radiation
values for several cities in the Kingdom are considered among the world
highest values. For example, the amount of monthly solar radiation incident on
a horizontal surface for Riyadh varied between 670 and 1000 W/m2, the lowest
value being in December and the highest observed value was during July
(Hummeida and Mohammad, 1993). It was also found that the ratio of the
actual to the maximum possible sunshine hours varied between 0.62 and 0.8.
Previous research to utilize solar energy to power several applications in
the remote areas of the Kingdom have shown great success. Communications,
cathodic protection, and heating are among the several examples. However, an
important application, linked to the natural security of the Kingdom, has not
been given great efforts by researchers. This application is agriculture. Similar
to the other countries, agriculture is considered as the most important resource.
More importantly, demand for food in the Kingdom is immense and water is
scarce.
Agriculture efforts are normally carried in remote area where electricity
from electric utility companies may not exist or grid extension is expensive.
Therefore, a stand-alone power supply is always in demand.
Clean electricity can be produced via electronic system composed of
photovoltaic (PV) cells and other attached electronics. PV cells are clean solarelectric converters, convert solar radiation to direct current given a known
operating voltage.

Once solar systems are utilized in agriculture applications, another

advantage is gained. That is, the demand for electricity occurs during the times
when solar radiation is available and in abundance; an excellent harmony
between demand and supply. For example, demand for electricity in
greenhouses during summertime is dominated by cooling and pumping
equipments. Hence, this demand occurs during daytime when solar radiation is
abundant. Figure 1 depicts this harmony.
The concept of utilizing photovoltaic system to power greenhouses
carries great significance and success. Therefore, it is the main objective of this
research project to build a greenhouse powered by PV system. The location of
the project was selected to be in the research station of the king Abdulaziz City
for Science and Technology at al-Muzahmyah.
Greenhouse was in full operation since July 2000. And, Data Acquisition
System (DAS) was in operation since Nov 2000. Six plantation cycles had
finished. PV subsystem, Battery subsystem, greenhouse cooling and heating

Solar
Radia
tion

Energy

performance are satisfactory.

Cooling Load
Lighting and Misc. Load
00:00

06:00

12:00

18:00

24:00

Time

Figure 1.1: The harmony between the electric demand and solar radiation
availability in greenhouses applications during summertime.

2. OBJECTIVES
The project aimed to achieve the following objectives:
1. Quantify the operating efficiency of the new SANYO PV
module designed to sustain harsh desert climate.
2. Quantify the potential harmony between the solar
radiation availability and the demand for electricity.
3. Study the economic feasibility and practicality of a standalone photovoltaic powered greenhouse system.
4. Quantify the economics of implanting heating elements to
the PV-Greenhouse system.
5. Analyze system operation and exercise different operating
modes of the system to optimize the system design.

3. LITRATURE REVIEW
This section reviews the studies and efforts conducted by other
researchers in the photovoltaic industry and applications, as well as
greenhouses environment control.

3.1 The Photovoltaic Industry and Applications

Photovoltaic industry is growing rapidly as concern increases about
global warming and as a result of falling prices resulting from technological
breakthroughs.
For most of the eighties and early nineties the major markets for solar
panels were remote area power supplies and consumer products (watches, toys
and calculators). However in the mid nineties a major effort was launched to
develop building integrated solar panels for grid connected applications.
The PV sector is the second-fastest growing energy source in the world
after wind power. Sales of PV modules grew by 44% in 2000 and 30%-40% in
2001. Sales are expected to increase 30%-40% in 2002.
The PV cells market divides broadly into five sectors, namely Industrial
Systems, Mass Market Products, Rural (off-grid) Systems, Building-integrated
(on-grid) Systems, and Centralised (utility) Systems. According to the UK-based
Intersolar Group, the Home Systems sector will witness the strongest growth
in 2002.
Japan, the US and Germany, in declining order, lead the world in the
residential PV market. According to the New Energy and Industrial
Technology Development Organization, solar power systems in Japan currently
have a total power output of more than 300MW. The Japanese Ministry for the
4

Economy, Trade and Industry plans to promote at least 70,000 'Roof

Programmes' during the fiscal year 2002/2003.
The German Association for Solar Energy (Deutscher Fachverband
Solarenergie - DFS), believes that Germany - with a 54% market share - is the
European leader in producing solar collectors. Consumers in Germany can
obtain low-interest credits to finance solar panels for their roofs. By 2003,
Germany intends to have subsidised more than 100,000 private homes with
photovoltaic systems.
In the US, PV manufacturing capacity has increased by more than a
factor of seven since 1992, according to the Department of Energy. DoE
projections indicate a steady decline in average PV module manufacturing costs
to US$1.16 per peak watt at total manufacturing capacity of 865MW by 2005,
from US$2.73 per peak watt in 1999 (at a capacity of 99.3MW). For 2002, the
projections are costs between US$1.5-US$2.00 for total manufacturing capacity
of 300MW-350MW.
The cost of solar electric systems has come down over 90% in the last
two decades, making the economics more viable, according to California (US)based Strategies Unlimited, the leading photovoltaics market research firm. The
DoE says the average cost of electricity from PV cells has dropped from more
than US$1.00 per kWh in the 1980s to nearly US$0.20 per kWh today.
Major photovoltaic equipment manufacturers such as BP Solar (UK),
Siemens Solar (Germany), Kyocera (Japan), AstroPower (US) and Sharp
(Japan) have all announced plans to more than double their production
capacities over the coming years.
Also, photovoltaic solar cells are often used in remote locations to
provide a small negative voltage to the metal structure, such as bridges,

pipelines, buildings, tanks, wells and railway lines, which can protect metal
structures from corrosion. Photovoltaic system also used to power electric
fences that are widely used in farms to prevent stock or predators from
entering or leaving an enclosed field.
Solar cells are also used for lighting at remote area where the cost of
power is too high to consider using the grid. Such applications include security
lighting, navigation aids (e.g. buoys and beacons), illuminated road signs,
railway crossing signs and village lighting. Such systems usually consist of a PV
panel plus a storage battery, power conditioner and a low voltage, high
efficiency DC fluorescent lamp (reference). These systems are very popular in
remote areas, and considered as one of the major applications of PV in
developing countries.
The cost of electric power to drive these systems and the high cost of
maintaining conventional power systems limited their use. PV power systems
has provided a cost-effective solution to this problem through the development
of remote area telecommunications repeater stations. These typically consist of
a receiver, a transmitter and a PV based power supply system. Thousands of
these systems have been installed around the world and they have an excellent
reputation for reliability and relatively low costs for operation and maintenance.
Similar principles apply to solar powered radios and television sets, emergency
telephones and monitoring systems. Remote monitoring systems may be used
for collecting weather data or other environmental information and for
transmitting it automatically via radio to the home base.

3.2 Greenhouses environment control

The greenhouse industry development represents a main strategic
objective of the Saudi government because it increases the income resources
and insures food security since huge consumption of vegetables is in demand.
As a result, the greenhouses production has flourished and large capitals have
been invested on it.

The first reported greenhouse in Saudi Arabia was

established in 1980 located in Riyadh. The number of greenhouse projects for

the period from 1980 to 1997 was about 615 produced 294 thousand tons per
year (Ministry of Agriculture and water, 1998). About 30% of greenhouses are
located in Riyadh area (Ministry of Planning, 1998). Increase of greenhouses in
Saudi Arabia can be attributed to the development of chemicals and
environmental control devices that provide a suitable environment for plant
growth and development. The common greenhouse crops in Saudi Arabia are
vegetable and flowers.
Greenhouses in Saudi Arabia require environmental modifications to
create a suitable environment for plants growth and production. Greenhouses
have environmental modifications that are essentially used for cooling,
ventilating and heating. Ventilation can remove excess heat, increase air mixing,
introduce the outside air with a higher CO2 concentration, and reduce
temperature stratification in the greenhouse (Aldrich and Bartok, 1992).
Fan ventilation system is commonly used to regulate humidity and
temperature in the greenhouse (Walker, 1965). During summer, ventilation
alone is not enough to maintain optimum interior temperatures. Therefore,
water evaporative cooling systems are used to reduce inside air temperature to
an acceptable level (Hellickson, 1987). For most of greenhouses located in
Riyadh area, cooling for summer, early winter and late spring (the period from

March to October) is commonly accomplished by fan and pad evaporative

cooling systems.
Generally, the cooling performance of the fan-pad evaporative cooling
system is affected by some factors such as air velocity through pad (face
velocity), pad thickness, pad wetting rate and climatic conditions (Wiersma and
Benham 1974; Al-Helal and Al-Tweejre, 2001).

The American Society of

Agricultural Engineering (ASAE, 1994) recommended an air velocity of 1.25

m/s for the standard 100 mm thick Cel-dek pad.

An optimum water

circulation rate of 2.4 l/(min.m2) of pad surface has been recommended by

Wiersma and Benham (1974) for efficient cooling and effective pad cleaning
action under most practical conditions.
High solar radiation intensity affects greenhouse operational cost
because it increases the greenhouse-cooling load. When the level of solar
radiation is high, the temperature inside greenhouse may become too high and
heat stress the crop. Shading is the major method of reducing solar load inside
the greenhouse because shading materials absorb some of the solar radiation
(Willits, 1992). During periods of high solar radiation, greenhouse shading is a
very important factor in reducing leaf and inside air temperatures .
Solar radiation is the main source of energy input for greenhouses even
on cool winter days, temperatures can rise to excessively high values if the sky
is clear. Plants inside the greenhouse can absorb most of solar energy by the
process of transpiration.

Therefore, transpiration from plants can is an

important cooling process as the energy needed to evaporate the water comes
from the air around the plants leaves.

4. MATERIALS AND METHODS

The system is designed to be a stand-alone and consists of solar cells
delivering 14.7 kW. The solar cells supply electric power to the load (electric fans &
cooling pump, and other electrical accessories) of the greenhouse (9m x 39m).
Vegetables were planted in the greenhouse and irrigated using a drip irrigation
system.

4.1 Power System

The solar cells adopted were of the type HIT (Heterojunction with
Intrinsic Thin layer). The HIT solar cell is a hybrid composed of a thin single
crystal wafer surrounded by layers of ultra-thin amorphous silicon. This
structure reduces energy loss and results in high conversion efficiency. The
modules containing the HIT solar cells are designed to be resistant to hightemperature efficiency loss. Hence, it is very effective to place these modules in
high temperature locations like Saudi Arabia.

Solar cell modules were

manufactured in Japan, and the other equipment of solar power generation was
purchased locally from the Kingdom. Tables 4.1 shows the PV power system
components and Figure 4.1 its configuration.
Table 4.1: PV System components
Component

Description
92 SANYO manufactured modules, 160 Watt capacity each.

PV array
Total of 14.72 kW
Inverter

15 kVA SunPower with 15 kWp MPPT and 120 V

Batteries

60 deep charged batteries. Total of 3000 Ah (350 kWh)

Array 1
1

Sub-Array
box
&
63 A
MCB

32 x SANYO 160W

Main
Junction
Box
Including
circuit
breakers

Array 2
1

Load
Distribution

System
Manager
15 kWp
MMPT
and
10 kVA
DC/AC
Inverter

Sub-Array
box
&
63 A
MCB

MCB

120 VDC
Battery Bank
3000 Ah @ C120
350 kWh

28 x SANYO 160W

Array 3
32 x SANYO 160W

Sub-Array
box
&
63 A
MCB

Figure 4.1: Skeleton of PV system

4.2 Greenhouse System

The greenhouse is located at the research station of the King Abdulaziz
City for Science and Technology at Al-Muzahmyah, Saudi Arabia. Photo of the
39 m x 9.0 m Quonset greenhouse is shown in Figure 4.2 with its long
dimension or ridge a long a north-south line. The greenhouse constructed of
metal framing and fiberglass covering. The fan and pad evaporative cooling
system was used for cooling. Ventilation was achieved by two exhaust fans
located on the south-end of the greenhouse, and incoming air was forced
through 12 m2 (2m 6m) of 10 cm thick cooling pads (Cel-dek, mounters) set
on the north end of the greenhouse. The rated ventilation rate for each of the
two fans was 36000 m3/hr. Fans and cooling water pump were powered by

10

photovoltaic system.

Table 4.2 shows the greenhouse electrical load

distribution.
Table 4.2: Greenhouse Load Distribution
Required Power

Average Daily Duty

Mean Daily Energy

(W)

Cycle (hr)

Demand (Wh/day)

Equipment
Two Air Fans (2 x 1.5 Hp)

2237

16

35792

Circulation Pump (0.75 Hp)

559

16

8944

Control (PC)

400

24

9600

Total

3196

--

54336

4.3 Crop description

Two types of crop were used; Tomatoes (Red Gold) and Cucumbers
(Vegaro). Tomatoes were used during winter seasons and Cucumbers were
used during summer seasons. Seeds were planted in a nursery and grown for
two to three weeks. Then, seedlings were transferred inside the greenhouse in
four double rows, each single row having 80 plants, and grown until the
completion of the growing season. Plants were irrigated two times a day during
winter and three times a day during summer using drip irrigation system.
Irrigation time was 10 minute. Nutrient solution was formed by dissolving
fertilizers in the irrigation water.
The nutrient solution consisted of Calcium Nitrate, Potassium Nitrate,
Magnesium Sulfate, Mono-ammonium Phosphate, Ammonium Phosphate,
Ammonium Nitrate, Iron Chelate, Borax, Manganese Chelate, Copper Chelate,
and Zinc Chelate. They were dissolved in fresh water. Calcium Nitrate and

11

Potassium Nitrate were dissolved in tank A, and the remaining components

were dissolved in tank B. Table 4.3 shows analytical results for cooling pad
water and irrigation water.
Table 4.3 Analytical results for cooling pad water and irrigation water as analyzed by Natural
Resources and Environment Research Institute at KACST.
Element
Cooling Pad Water
Irrigation water
Date
5/5/2002
5/5/2002
15/5/2002
15/5/2002
EC (ms/cm)
2.26
2.3
1.39
1.48
PH
7.66
7.95
8.15
8.09
Total Hardness (mg/l)
722
747
424
476
TDS@ 105oC
1462
1553
821
947
Ca++ (ppm)
204
208
116
138
Na+ (ppm)
218
245
137
143
+
K (ppm)
14
14
6
10
Mg+ (ppm)
52
55
33
32
Cl (ppm)
543
612
383
404
CO3 (ppm)
ND
ND
3
ND
HCO3- (ppm)
179
155
109
112
SO4 (ppm)
484.5
431.4
235
255.1
SAR
3.5
3.9
2.9
2.8
ND = Not Detected

4.3 Measurement and Data Acquisition System

Data Acquisition System (DAS) was installed during November 2000 to
measure data such as the amount of solar radiation and the results were
statistically processed. Measurement items are as shown in Table 4.3. All data
were acquired in an instantaneous manner by a data logger and an IBM
compatible computer to collect data every 1 minute.
The DAS was powered by the PV solar system (including Battaries).
New sensors added and new setup was done in 4 November 2002, as shown in
figure 4.2 to improve the measurements and the analysis. The total
Measurement items are shown in Table 4.4.

12

Table 4.4: Data Acquisition System Parameters

No
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9-14
15-18
19-21
22-23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47

Channel
Ambient Temperature
Wind Speed
Wind Direction
Horizontal Irradiance
Tilt Irradiance
Ambient Relative Humidity
PV Temperature
Battery Temperature
Greenhouse Temperature 1,2,3,4,5,6
Greenhouse Relative Humidity 1,2,3,4
Greenhouse Solar Radiation 1,2,3
Greenhouse Air Speed 1,2
Water Flow
Fan Speed 1
Fan Speed 2
PV Array 1 Current
PV Array 2 Current
PV Array 3 Current
PV Array 1 Voltage
PV Array 2 Voltage
PV Array 3 Voltage
PV Array Average Voltage
PV Array Power
Battery Current
Battery Voltage
Battery Power
Load 1 Current
Load 2 Current
Load 3 Current
Load 1 Voltage
Load 2 Voltage
Load 3 Voltage
Load Power
Fan 1 Power
Fan 2 Power
Pump Power

13

Unit
(C)
(m/s)
(Degs)
(W/m2)
(W/m2)
(%)
(C)
(C)
(C)
(%)
(W/m2)
(m/s)
(l/m)
(rpm)
(rpm)
(A)
(A)
(A)
(V)
(V)
(V)
(V)
(kW)
(A)
(V)
(kW)
(A)
(A)
(A)
(V)
(V)
(V)
(kW)
(W)
(W)
(W)

2.6m

Pole 6

Pole 5

Pole 4

Pole 3

39.5m

34.5m

29.5m

19.5m

Pole 2
9.5m

Pole 1
2m

GSR1

2.4m
GRH1

2.2m

GT1

GRH2

GT2

GRH4

GT4

Cooling
Pads
FS1
FS2

GSR2

1.5m

AS2

AS1

GRH3

1m

GT3

GT5
GSR3

0.75m
AS
FM
FS
GRH
GSR
GT

Air Speed
Flow Meter
Fan Speed
Greenhouse Relative Humidity
Greenhouse Solar Radiation
Greenhouse Temperature

0.25m
FM
0m

Location of Sensors in Muzahimiyah Greenhouse

Figure 4.2 Location of sensors in the greenhouse

14

GT6

Fans

5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

5.1 Plantation Cycles
Five plantation cycles (cucumber and tomato, alternatively) in the
greenhouse had been completed and the sixth is in progress and expected to be
completed by the end of March 2003. The first, and fourth plantation cycles
were satisfactory.

However, tomato plants in the second cycle were infected

with several viruses that were transmitted from other infected greenhouses in
the farm. As a result, the plants were removed and discarded. Also, the total
production of the third plantation cycle was weakened because of insufficient
cooling attained by the cooling system.

The cooling system encountered

several power shutdowns primarily due to power delivery failure from the PV
subsystem. On the other hand, the fifth plantation cycle encountered a larger
damage due limited availability of water (for irrigation and cooling), from the
main supply.
The fourth plantation cycle started on late October 2001, and concluded
on the end of April 2002. Figure 5.1 shows the variations of the tomato yield
(kg) with time of the fourth plantation cyle during winter growing season of
2002, which totals 2620 kg. The figure shows that the maximum yield of about
600 kg was observed on Feb 4, 2002.
The fifth plntation cycle started on 20 May 2002, and concluded on 19
Aug 2002. Figure 5.2 shows the variations of the cucumber yiled (kg) with time
of the fith cycle during summer growing season, 2002. cycle.
cucumber yield during this cycle totled 663kg.

15

The total

The sixth plantation cycle strted on 5 Nov 2002 ans still in progress.
Figure 5.3 shows the tomato grouth rate during the cycle till the date of this
report. The cycle is expected to end by mid April 2003.

16

600

400
300
200
100

Fig 5.1: Variations of the tomato yield (kg) with time during the fourth plantation cycle (Winter, 2002)

17

April3

April2

April1

March4

March3

March2

March1

Feb4

Feb3

Feb2

Feb1

Jan4

0
Jan3

Yield (kg)

500

160
140
Yield (kg)

120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Jun3

Jun4

July1

July2

July3

July4

Aug1

Aug2

Fig 5.2: Variations of the Cucumber yield (kg) with time during the fifth plantation cycle (Summer, 2002)

18

Aug3

(cm)

Height (cm)
Width(cm)
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Nov3

Nov4

Dec1

Dec2

Dec3

Dec4

Jan1

Jan2

Fig 5.3: Varaitions of tomato growth during the sixth plantation cycle (winter, 2003)

19

Jan3

Jan4

5.2 Greenhouse Environment

This section describes the performance of the greenhouse cooling
systems and the major problems experenced during its operation. The
section starts with the explanation of a typical day operation. The section
will also include discussions of one of the major problems affected the
greenhouse operation which is the cooling pads clogging. Also, the effects
of shading on greenhouse environment will be discussed. In addition, the
efficiency of the fan and pad greenhouse evaporative cooling system will be
investigated.
In the effort to assess the cooling optimization, hence the power system
optimization, an experiment of operating the greenhouse cooling system
with different fan operation configuration will be discussed. As one of the
major factors affecting the greehouse economics beside power consumption
the water consumption in the greenhouse will also be discussed.

5.2.1 Greenhouse Typical Operation

Figure 5.4 shows the operation of the greenhouse during a typical day
(March 11, 2001). The figure shows temperatures and relative humiduity
for the air inside and outside the greenhouse, and fans power consumption.

20

11 March 2001
(kW)

(%, degree C)
100

90
80

70
60
50

40
30

20
10

0
0:00

0
6:00

12:00

18:00

0:00

LOAD POWER
(kW)
AMBIENT TEMP
(degree C)
OUTSIDE RH
(%)
GH TEMP 1
(degree C)
GH TEMP 2
(degree C)
GH TEMP 3
(degree C)
GH INSIDE RH
(%)

Figure 5.4: Temperatures and relative humiduity for the air inside and outside the greenhouse, and fans power
consumption on March 11, 2001.

21

During this day, as the sun rises around 6:30 AM, greenhouse temperature
began to rise untill it reached 26 oC around 7:45 AM, during which, the first fan
started to operate and consequently the second fan also. As the sun sets,
around 6:00 PM, the solar radiation intensity and ambient temperature droped,
and hence the temperature inside the greenhouse droped accordingly to below
25 oC causing the operation of the fans to stop for the rest of the day.

5.2.2 Fan-pad cooling system performance

Figure 5.5 shows the variation of cooling efficiency, as a function of time
for 2 August and 3 August. The efficiency on those two days varied from 64 to
80% and averaged 71%. Highest efficiency during those two days occurred in
the morning when ambient air temperature was lowest.
Results showed that even in the afternoon when it was hot, cooling system
achieved acceptable level of cooling. The good performance of the fan-pad
evaporative cooling system can be attributed to two factors. First, the hot and
dry climatic conditions are ideal for evaporative cooling. Second, new clean
pads increased the exhaust fans ability to remove excess heat from the
greenhouse.

22

90
80
70

Efficiency, %

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
21:30

18:30

15:30

12:30

09:30

06:30

03:30

00:30

21:30

18:30

15:30

12:30

09:30

06:30

03:30

00:30

Time (hr)

Figure 5.5 Cooling pad efficiency as a function of time (2 and 3 August, 2001).

5.2.3 Cooling Pads Clogging

Due to high salts concentration in water used for cooling, cooling pads
were clogged several times and were periodically replaced shorter than
anticipated. The salt content of water used for cooling exceeded 1500 ppm
(part per million). As the water evaporates over the cooling pads, high
concentration of salts accumulates and remains over the cooling pads and
hence very little air passed through the pad. This means that the minimum
standard of one air change per minute was not meet in the greenhouse.
Additionally, less contact between air and water, and hence less cooling and
humidity. Clogging air channels reduced the fan-pad cooling system ability
to cool the plants during hot weather and caused the fans to draw more

23

power than anticipated. During most of the daytimes, the averages inside air
temperatures with clogged pads ranged between 30 and 51 oC, while the
inside relative humidity ranged between 8% and 30%.

This adversely

affected plant growth, and caused wilting to plants in the second half of the
greenhouse especially when accompanied by high solar radiation levels (10
AM to 4 PM).
Table 1 summarizes the recorded inside and outside climatic conditions
for the three working periods; they are: period 1 (the whole month of Jun
representing the case with old pads and without shade), period 2 (started on
1 July and ended on 17 July representing the case with old pads and with
shade), and period 3 (started on 17 July and ended on 23 August
representing the case with new pads and with shade).

Table 5.1. Daily main values of climatic data for the three periods.
Period

1
2
3

Temperature (oC)
Outside
Inside

33.7
34.4
35.2

32.5
30.4
27.0

Relative humidity (%)

Outside
Inside

11.6
14.2
15.0

32.0
42.0
46.9

Solar radiation (W/m2)

Outside

570
550
500

Table 5.1 shows that replacing pads clearly improved the

greenhouse environment. Air temperature and relative humidity inside
the greenhouse during daytimes were improved, ranged from 28 to 32
24

oC,

and from 39.3% to 44%, respectively.

The fan-pad cooling

efficiency was found to be around 73%, with 8 oC to 17.3 oC

reductions in temperature.
Electricity consumption with new pads was found to be around 22% less
than that with old clogged pads. Results also showed that the rate of
increase in electricity consumption is non-linearly related to the increase in
ambient temperatures. With clogged pads, the two fans draw very high
powers to meet the cooling requirement of the greenhouse, however,
cooling load was always higher.

5.2.4 Greenhouse shading

Roof shading improved inside conditions during extreme hours, and
reduced the stress on plants by decreasing the solar gain over plant canopy.
During the period from 9:30 to 17:30, air temperatures inside the
greenhouse ranged from 28 and 32 oC, compared to 38 to 44.2 oC outside
the greenhouse. At night, inside air temperatures ranged from 21 to 25 oC,
while the outside temperature was between 28 to 38 oC. Relative humidity
inside the greenhouse during night was between 48 to 81%, and between
11.7 to 28% for the outside air. Moreover, during the daytime the relative

25

humidity ranged from 39.3 to 44% for the air inside the greenhouse, and
from 7.8 to 10% for the outside air.

5.2.5 Cooling Fans Operation Optimization

To assess the performance of the cooling system at different fan load
operation, a study of the greenhouse environment was performed during
typical summer days with one fan operating. The greenhouse temperature
will be discussed and compared with temperature when two fans are
runnung. Table 5.2 shows the greenhouse temperature during 4th and 6th
of August 2002. Figure 5.6 shows the effect of cooling fans on greenhouse
temperature during day time (7:30am6:00pm) in August 2002.
As shown in table 5.2 and Figure 5.6, the rate of ventilation was found
to be influential on the inside air temperature. At daytime, and with one fan
running, mean air temperature inside the greenhouse was around 33 oC.
Where as, it was 30 oC with two fans running.

The mean maximum

greenhouse temperature was around 37 oC with one fan. Where as, it was
32o C with two fans. This indicates that using two fans reduced the mean
greenhouse temperature more than 3
greenhouse temperature 5 oC.

26

C, and the mean maximum

At nighttime, the fans were switched off daily every night at 9:00 pm.
Mean, mean maximum, and mean minimum greenhouse temperature were
less than 27 oC on 4, and 5 August 2002. This indicates that no need to run
the fans during nighttime.

27

Table 5.2: Effect of fans on the greenhouse temperature in 4, 5 & 6 August

2002 during daytime and nighttime.
(a) Two Fans

Day Time
Night Time
4-August (7:30-18:00) 4-August (18:00-23:59) - 5-August (00:00-5:00)
C
GT (mean)
30
23
GT (mean minimum)
23
21
32
25
GT (mean maximum)
AT (mean)
40
31
AT (mean minimum)
30
28
AT (mean maximum)
43
34
o

(b) One Fan

Day Time
Night Time
5-August (7:30-18:00) 5-August (18:00-23:59) - 6-August (00:00-5:00)
C
GT (mean)
33
23
GT (mean minimum)
24
21
37
25
GT (mean maximum)
AT (mean)
41
32
AT (mean minimum)
32
29
AT (mean maximum)
44
36
o

28

One Fan

Two Fans

45.00
40.00
Temperature (C)

35.00
30.00
25.00
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
Green house mean
temperature

Green house mean

maximum
Temperature

Mean ambient
temperature

Mean maximum
ambient
temperature

Fig 5.6: The effect of cooling fans on greenhouse temperature during day time (7:30am6:00pm) in August 2002.

29

5.2.6 Greenhouse Water Consumption

Greenhouse water consumption for cooling system was found to be

influenced by airflow rate throug the cooling pads.

Using two fans

increased the evaporation of water during cooling process. As shown in

figure 5.7 the averages daily consumption of water with one fan running was
2.89 m3. Where as, with two fans the daily average was 4.85 m3. On
average, the amount of water consumption with one fan was reduced by
almost 41%. This was because using one fan reduced the airflow rate
through the pads, thus reducing water evaporation rate.

Under the

experimental conditions, this percentage saving gives an absolute value of

about 1.96 m3.
Table 5.3 shows the monthly average consumption of water for cooling
of the greenhouse and irrigation of the plants for several months. The daily
average consumption of water for irrigation was 2.33 m3 irrelevant to the
number of fans in operation.

30

Table 5.3 : Monthly average consumption of water for the cooling of the
greenhouse and irrigation of the plants for several months
Date
Jun-02
Jul-02
Aug-02
Sep-02
Oct-02
Nov-02
Dec-02
Jan-03

Cooling Water
(m3)
4.6
4.1
3.6
3.6
1.6
0.7
0.0
0.0

31

Irrigation Water (m3)

2.4
3.5
2.2
0.0
0.0
0.4
1.2
1.3

Water Consumption (m3/day)

5
4
3
2
1
0
Cooling (Two Fans)

Cooling (One Fan)

Irrigation

Fig 5.7: Daily average cooling water and irrigation consumption (m3/day) during August 2002

32

5.2.7 Greenhouse Heating

During winter season the air temperature inside the greenhouse need to be
maintained within the adequate limits (15 oC during the night and 25 oC during
the day) for crop production. Therefore heating system was designed for
greenhouse by applying the steady-state energy balance. The design assumed
that incoming solar radiation (Qsr) and heater energy (Qh) to be equal to the
outgoing heat losses (Qloss) and the heat removed by ventilation (Qv) air
neglecting the rate of change of energy stored in the greenhouse and other
small fluxes. The design based on several factors including ambient and inside
greenhouse temperatures, greenhouse size, type of covering, and rate of air
infiltration. Weather data for Riyadh (Solar Village Site) from 1996-2000 was
used for this purpose. The system was installed late febreuary 2002. The
source of greenhouse heating was chosen to be Diesel fueled due to the
relatively high cost of electricity operated system.
The heater faced automatic start problem during Winter 2002/2003
making it difficult to judge well the

effect of heating on greenhouse

environment, especially at night , when it was not possible to operate the heater
manually. The heater performed well during seconed half of January 2003
when the heater was operated manually. Most of the heating requirements for
greenhouses are required during night.
33

Table 5.4 showes the consumption of diesel during this month, ambient
temperature, and greenhouse temperature during night time. The table shows
that on average, heating system was capable of of maintaining the inside
temperatures at acceptable limits for plants growth. For example, on Jan 2nd
the greenhouse was maintained at an air temperature of 120C when

the

ambient temperature at night was 3 0C. . Also, the Table shows that during 13
days out of 21 days of the sampling data , mean greenhouse temperatures
during night time were less than 150C, while during 8 days, the mean
greenhouse temperatures were equal or greater than 150C,. The table shows
that the average daily consumption of diesel used for heating the greenhouse
was 42 litters.

34

Table 5.4. The consumption of diesel during the month of Jan, 2003, ambient
temperature, and greenhouse temperature during night time where the
greenhouse heating are required.
Daily
Day Diesel Consumption (Litter)
1
57
2
50
3
58
4
22
5
77
6
45
7
36
8
58
9
22
10
28
11
36
12
27
13
27
14
62
15
34
16
27
17
12
18
59
19
28
20
66
21
54
Average
42

Mean Ambient
Temperature
At night time
10
3
6
15
6
8
7
7
8
7
8
6
6
6
9
16
8
3
5
9
15
8

35

Mean Greenhouse
Temperature
At night time
12
12
14
20
7
20
13
9
19
8
9
18
7
9
20
14
7
15
15
10
26
13

5.3 PV System Performance

PV system operated normally following its completion and

commencement of operation in July 2000.

The PV arrays were

cleaned on weekly bases. Furthermore, no rust or stain that would

significantly diminish the function has been observed on PV cells
since installation. The PV system operation parameters were recorded
every minute. These parameter includeed solar insolation, PV cell
temperature, PV arrays currentas and voltages, PV power and the
battary storage current and voltage. This section illustrates the PV
system hourly operation prfile for the day of March 11, 2001 and for
the day of June 21, 2002. Which is followed comparing the PV
system performance for conscutive 6 day during the diffenet season
of the yaer i.e. March, June, September, December 2001. The
comparison is shown in terms of accumulated daily power and 6 days
accumulated power. The section concludes with the battary dicharge
test that was performed to test the ability of the battary storage
system to supply electrical power to the greenhouse in the occasion
of the nonavailablity of solar energy due to clouds or others causes.

5.3.1 Daily Operation Profiles

One minute data for the entire day of March 11, 2001 is shown in figure
5.8. During this clear March day, batteries approached full charge by 9:00 am,
and hence PV power were used directly to supply the greenhouse electrical

36

components. If no demand for electricity was required, then the PV system

would be disconected form the system. Battery life time was affected by this
deep charging because the batteries were designed to sustain this deep charge
and discharge process. Figure 5.9 shows the hourly averaged data for the day of
June 21, 2002 . During this clear June day, batteries approached full charge by
11:00 AM. During day time tilt irradiance data was recognized from 6:00 am to
7:00 pm reaching its maximum value at 12:00pm. The electric load in the
greenhouse was dominated by the two fan motors and water pump for indoor
cooling. From 9:00am to 8:00pm, the fans and water pump were working
contineously.
Load power profile occasionally showed sharp peaks due to start-up
current that flows when the two fan-motors start to run. However, this flow of
sharp startup current did not hinder the overall operation because the inverter
was sized to have sufficiently large capacity compared to the load demand.
Moreover, the two fans were designed to start in a sequential order, 10 second
laps time, to allow lesser demand for start-up current.

5.3.2 Six-days Operation Profiles

To assess the continous operation of the accumulated daily power
delivered by the PV system, the power stored in the battary system and the
power consumed by the greenhouse load is shown in figure 5.10 and tables 5.5
to 5.8. Figure 5.10 shows the operational performance curve over a 6-day
period (March 11 through March 16, 2001). Negative battery power indicates
battary charging.

37

Although there were days like March 14th when the amount of solar
radition was very low, the data shows that operation continued smoothly from
the following day onward.
Power generation and consumption over the 6-day period for March
2001, June 2001, September 2001, and December 2001 are shown in Tables
5.5 to 5.8.

In these tables, PV power refers to the amount of electricity

generated by solar cell arrays during that interval. In addition, battery power
refers to the amount of discharge from storage batteries (amount of charge is
negative) while load power refers to the total amount of electricity consumed
(e.g., greenhouse load, battery cabinet ventilation fan, DAS computer, and
other loss).

38

11 March 2001
(W/m2)
1200

(kW)
15

1000
800

10

600
400

200
0
-2000:00
-400

0
6:00

12:00

18:00

0:00
-5

-600
-800

-10

-1000
-1200

-15

Figure 5.8: Data for the entire day of March 11, 2001

39

TILT IRRAD
(W/m2)
PV POWER
(kW)
BATT POWER
(kW)
LOAD POWER
(kW)

900

15

800
10
700
5

600
500

(W/m^2)
400
300

-5

200
-10
100
0

-15
4

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

Time

Figure 5.9: Data for the entire day of June 21, 2001

40

(kW)

TI
PVP
BP
LP

(kWh)

(Wh/m2)

80

8000
6000

PV POWER
(kWh)

40

4000

BATT POWER
(kWh)

20

2000

LOAD POWER
(kWh)

TI LT I RRAD
(Wh/m2)

60

0
-20

3/11 3/12 3/13 3/14 3/15 3/16

-2000

Figure 5.10: Operation data for 6 days period (March 11-16, 2001).

41

Table 5.5: Power generation & consumption for 6 days (11-16 March, 2001)
Date
Mar. 11, 2001
Mar. 12, 2001
Mar. 13, 2001
Mar. 14, 2001
Mar. 15, 2001
Mar. 16, 2001
Total

Tilt
Irradiance
(KWh/m2)
6.961
6.690
4.338
2.814
6.888
6.267
33.457

PV
Power
(KWh)
51.69
47.65
49.77
33.57
47.46
49.71
279.83

Battery Charge
Power *
(KWh)
-14.46
-5.95
-14.21
-4.35
-7.95
-9.90
-56.83

Load Power
(KWh)
26.48
27.71
25.56
19.38
19.38
27.32
153.08

* Negative battery power indicates charging

Aggregate power consumption over the 6 days period is:
Aggregate of power consumption

= (Battery Charge)+(Load Power)

= 56.83 + 153.08 = 209.91 kWh

In comparison, the amount of power generated is 279.83 kWh which

exceeds the power consumption by 69.92 kWh (33.3%). This indicates that
sufficient power is being supplied. However, these results were obtained in
relatively cool season March. Whether the balance will be maintained under a
hot condition in which cooling fan motor is operated at night is a subject of
June and September data.

42

Table 5.6: Power generation & consumption for 6 days (11-16 June, 2001)
Tilt
Irradiance
PV Power
2
Date
(KWh/m )
(KWh)
June. 11, 2001
6.567275
78.5446
June. 12, 2001
6.834935
81.74582
June. 13, 2001
6.848537
81.9085
June. 14, 2001
6.819213
81.55779
June. 15, 2001
6.715253
80.31443
June. 16, 2001
6.722479
80.40085
Total
40.50769
484.472
* Negative battery power indicates charging

Battery Charge
Power *
(KWh)
-18.6046
-21.1775
-2.75937
-19.0496
-4.51376
-23.6191
-89.724

Load Power
(KWh)
43.10788
35.88441
43.04919
41.3766
44.09359
39.85085
247.3625

According to June data:

Aggregate of power consumption

= (Battery Charge)+(Load Power)

= 89.724+ 247.3625 = 337.0865 kWh

In comparison, the amount of power generated is 484.472 kWh which

exceeds the power consumption by 147.38 kWh (43.7%). This indicates that
sufficient power is being supplied. During these days batteries approached full
charge by 9:30 am one time, 10:30 am three times, and 11:30 am twice.

Table 5.7: Power generation & consumption for 6 days (11-16 Sep, 2001)
Tilt
Irradiance
PV Power
Date
(KWh/m2)
(KWh)
Sep 11, 2001
6.905137
82.58544
Sep 12, 2001
7.203679
86.156
Sep 13, 2001
6.925274
82.82627
Sep 14, 2001
6.676439
79.85021
Sep 15, 2001
6.602306
78.96358
Sep 16, 2001
6.260965
74.88114
Total
40.5738
485.2627
* Negative battery power indicates charging

43

Battery Charge
Power *
(KWh)
-15.9672
-11.1758
-11.7224
-7.60108
-5.81159
-3.16303
-55.4411

Load Power
(KWh)
40.7453
40.83458
40.34646
41.23146
43.60006
46.19723
252.9551

According to September data:

Aggregate of power consumption

= (Battery Charge)+(Load Power)

= 55.4411+ 252.9551 = 308.4 kWh

In comparison, the amount of power generated is 485.2 kWh which

exceeds the power consumption by 176.86 kWh (57.3%). This indicates that
sufficient power is being supplied. During these days batteries approached full
charge by 10:30 am.

Table 5.8: Power generation & consumption for 6 days (11-16 Dec, 2001)
Tilt
Irradiance
PV Power
Date
(KWh/m2)
(KWh)
Dec 11, 2001
6.153731
73.59862
Dec 12, 2001
6.227577
74.48183
Dec 13, 2001
4.441464
53.11991
Dec 14, 2001
4.980495
59.56672
Dec 15, 2001
3.620653
43.30301
Dec 16, 2001
3.019826
36.11712
Total
28.44375
340.1872
* Negative battery power indicates charging

Battery Charge
Power * (KWh)
-16.6668
-14.8356
-8.96226
-16.3693
-14.161
-23.468
-94.4631

Load Power
(KWh)
34.38141
33.39027
34.53351
33.30097
30.09223
15.04552
180.7439

According to December data:

Aggregate of power consumption

= (Battery Charge)+(Load Power)

= 94.46+ 180.74 = 275.2 kWh

In comparison, the amount of power generated is 340.187 kWh which

exceeds the power consumption by 65 kWh (23.6%).

44

This indicates that

sufficient power is being supplied. During these days batteries approached full
charge by 9:30 am.
Table 5.8, shows different six days of extremely minimum daily average tilt
irradiance values during sunshine duration of winter season.
According to 18 November 2002 data
Aggregate of power consumption

= (Battery Charge)+(Load Power)

= 8.84 + 9.30 = 18.14 kWh

In comparison, the amount of power generated is 21.06 kWh, which

exceeds the power consumption by 2.92 kWh (16.12%). This indicates that
sufficient power is being supplied even in the worst sunshine days (See table
5.8).
Table 5.9: Power generation & consumption for day of extremely minimum daily
average tilt irradiance values during of winter season 2002/2003.
Date

18/11/02
14/12/02
15/12/02
16/12/02
27/12/02
31/12/02

Tilt Irrad

Power
from
PV

Power
to
Battery

Power
to
Load

Excess
PV
Power

(KWh/m2)

(KWh)

(KWh)

(KWh)

(KWh)

% of Excess PV
Power to (Power to
Load + Power to
Battery)
(%)

1.86
1.08
2.07
1.70
3.09
3.17
4.84

21.06
13.66
21.45
17.89
20.92
19.93
52.99

-8.84
-4.22
-13.18
-10.25
-10.19
-9.61
-27.65

9.30
6.70
7.78
6.71
9.03
8.71
21.19

2.92
2.73
0.50
0.92
1.70
1.61
4.15

16.12
24.97
2.38
5.44
8.87
8.78
8.50

14-16/12/02
* Negative battery power indicates charging

45

Table 5.10 shows the six extremely maximum daily average load power
values during the summer of 2001. In these days, it is clear that generated PV
power (KWh) is less than consumption power (KWh) for the entire sample.

Table 5.10: Power generation & consumption for extremely maximum daily average
load power values during the summer of 2001.

Date

Tilt
Irradiance
(KWh/m2)

PV Power
(KWh)

Battery Charge
Power * (KWh)

Load Power
(KWh)

20/05/01
21/05/01
27/06/01
30/06/01
02/08/01
23/08/01

6.36773
6.378059
6.426936
6.312202
5.138935
6.636386

76.15805
76.28159
76.86616
75.49394
61.46166
79.37118

-59.7778
-56.1394
-52.9782
-49.7657
-34.7918
-46.1062

60.10624
52.76726
56.38175
58.63573
64.59653
63.03397

Power generation and consumption over 6-days period for April, June,
September, October , November and December for the year 2002 are shown
in table 5.10. The data of the table indicated that sufficient power was
supplied to the greenhouse system.

46

Table 5.11: Power generation & consumption for one week data in April, June,
September , October, November and December 2002.
Date

1-6/04/02
18-23/06/02
25-30/09/02
13-20/10/02
25-30/11/02
13-20/12/02

Power
from
PV
(KWh)

Power Power to Excess

to
Load
PV
Battery
Power
(KWh)
(KWh)
(KWh)

261
400
396
460.8
258.3
222.7

-76
-70
-77
-98
-66.3
-87.8

128
228
219
247.5
137.9
103.9

57
102
99
115.3
54.2
31

% of Excess PV
Power to (Power to
Load + Power to
Battery)
(%)

28.1
34.2
33.4
33.4
26.6
16.1

5.3.3 Battery Discharge Test

During the period from 10:02 am 25 June to 1:05 pm 29 June

2002 a battery discharge test was conducted to identify the discharge
load profile. The PV system was disconnected from supplying the
electrical load to the system and hence being fully dependant on
battery system to supply the load. The battery charge rate dropped
from 95% to 50% in about 100 hours continuous. Fig 5.11 shows the
state of charge of the battery system. From the test, it is concluded
that the battery storage system can provide the load with electricity
for four days (100 hours).

47

Variation of state of charge with Time

100
80
60
40
20

hours
Fig 5.11: Variation of state of charge with Time from 25 June to 29 June 2002
.

48

97

91

85

79

73

67

61

55

49

43

37

31

25

19

13

0
1

state of charge %

120

6. CONCLUSIONS
The potential of using photovoltaic (PV) system to power greenhouses was
investigated in this research. The greenhouse under investigation is located at alMuzahmyah research station of the King Abdulaziz City for Science and
Technology (KACST).

The potential harmony between the solar radiation

availability and the demand for electricity was quantified. Greenhouse was in full
operation since July 2000. Data Acquisition System (DAS) was in operation since
Nov 2000. Five plantation cycles were completed and the sixth one is in progress
and expected to complete by the end of February 2003. The performance of the
PV subsystem, battery subsystem and greenhouse cooling system were satisfactory.
Based upon the experience attained from operating this project and according
to the information and results obtained from the system, the following conclusions
can be drawn:
1. Power generation and consumption over 6-days period for April, June, and
September 2002, showed that the amount of power generation exceeded the
power consumption far more than 28%. This shows that sufficient power
is being supplied to the greenhouse.
2. Due to high salts concentration in water used for cooling, cooling pads were
clogged several times and were periodically replaced shorter than
anticipated.

As the water evaporates over the cooling pads, high

concentration of salts accumulates and remains over the cooling pads. The
salt content of cooling water exceeded 1500 ppm (part per million), and
hence very little air passed through the pad. Additionally, less contact
between air and water, and hence less cooling.

Clogging air channels

reduced the fan-pad cooling system ability to cool the plants during hot

49

weather and caused the fans to draw more power than anticipated. During
most of the daytimes, the averages inside air temperatures with clogged pads
ranged between 30 and 51oC, while the inside relative humidity ranged
between 8% and 30%. This adversely affected plant growth, and caused
wilting to plants in the second half of the greenhouse especially when
accompanied by high solar radiation levels (10 AM to 4 PM).
3. Replacing pads clearly improved the greenhouse environment.

Air

temperature and relative humidity inside the greenhouse during daytimes

were improved, ranged from 28 oC to 32 oC, and from 39.3% to 44%,
respectively. The fan-pad cooling efficiency was found to be around 73%,
with 8 oC to 17.3 oC reductions in temperature.
4. Electricity consumption with new pads was found to be around 22% less
than that with old clogged pads. Results also showed that the rate of
increase in electricity consumption is non-linearly related to the increase in
ambient temperatures. With clogged pads, the two fans draw very high
powers to meet the cooling requirement of the greenhouse, however,
cooling load was always higher.
5. The rate of air ventilation was found to be influential on the inside air
temperature. At daytime, and with one fan running, mean air temperature
inside the greenhouse was around 33 oC. Where as, it was 29 oC with two
fans running. The mean maximum greenhouse temperature was around 37
o

C with one fan. Where as, it was 32 oC with two fans. This indicates that

using two fans reduce the mean greenhouse temperature more than 4 oC,
and the mean maximum greenhouse temperature more than 5 oC.
6. Greenhouse water consumption for cooling system was found to be
influenced by airflow rate. Using two fans increases the evaporation of

50

water during cooling process. The averages daily consumption of water with
one fan running was 2.89 m3. Where as, with two fans the daily average was
4.85 m3. The daily average consumption of water for irrigation was 2.33 m3
irrelevant to the number of fans in operation.
7. The introduction of greenhouse shading reduced the thermal stress on
plants. Also, Roof shading improved inside conditions during extreme
hours.
8. During extreme summer conditions, the greenhouse cooling system along
with shade and transpiring plants were capable of providing acceptable rang
of temperature and relative humidity inside the greenhouse. During the
period from 9:30 to 17:30, air temperatures inside the greenhouse ranged
from 28 oC and 32 oC, compared to 38 oC to 44.2oC outside the greenhouse.
At night, inside air temperatures ranged from 21 oC to 25 oC, while the
outside temperature was between 28 oC to 38 oC.
9. Heating system was capable of maintaining the inside temperatures at
acceptable limits for plants growth. For example, on Jan 2nd the greenhouse
was maintained at an air temperature of 12 0C while the ambient
temperature was 3 0C. Most of the greenhouse heating demand occurs
during night times.

The average daily consumption of diesel used for

heating the greenhouse was 42 litters.

Finally it can be concluded that the SANYO PV HIT type (Hetero junction
with Intrinsic Thin-layer) solar cell (model HIP-G47B1 module) that was used to
power the R4-1 greenhouse showed satisfactory performance in the hot and dry
climate of al-Muzahemyah research station. Furthermore, all the other PV-power
system components showed good performance. In particular, the battery system

51

was able to supply sufficient electric power to meet the load requirement for over
than 100 hours while the PV field is disconnected.
In general, the R4-1 project operation proved that PV power is technically a
viable option for supplying electrical power to greenhouses in remote areas.

52

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