Achieving Net Zero Energy Greenhouses by Integrating Semitransparent Organic Solar Cells

Greenhouses vastly increase agricultural land-use efficiency. However, they also consume significantly more energy than conventional farming due in part to conditioning the greenhouse space. One way to mitigate the increase in energy consumption is to integrate solar modules onto the greenhouse structure. Semitransparent organic solar cells (OSCs) are particularly attractive given that their spectral absorption can be tuned to minimize the attenuation of sunlight over the plants photosynthetically active spectrum. Here, the benefits of integrating OSCs on the net energy demand of greenhouses within the U.S. are determined through a detailed energy balance model. We find that these systems can have an annual surplus of energy in warm and moderate climates. Furthermore, we show that sunlight reduction entering the greenhouse can be minimized with appropriate design. These results demonstrate that OSCs are an excellent candidate for implementing in greenhouses and provide an opportunity to diversify sustainable energy generation technology.