Solar panel performance

The panels to be used in this 300 m2 greenhouse will have a total of 108 m2 of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) unglazed collectors, from SUNTEK industries [5]. The collectors will be placed inside the greenhouse, against roof sections having an inclination of 60° with the horizontal, which will turn them in a sort of glazed type collector. Figure 2 presents monthly energy collected with these thermal solar panels. From the results it can be expected that approximately 27.407,8 kWh/year (85,5%) will be saved with the use of this technology in our standard 300 m2 greenhouse without any additional thermal improvement, such as thermal curtains or floor heating systems.

From May to October, when the solar energy collected is more than what is required, the inclination of the solar collectors can be modified, with the consequent reduction of the energy in excess. Figure 2 shows the energy profile along a year of the solar radiation versus energy required versus collected energy (collectors tilted 60°).