Articles
Optimization of equipment use in a plant factory with solar power generation
Article number
1426_26
Pages
183 – 188
Language
English
Abstract
Although fitting a plant factory with a solar power-generation system requires a substantial initial investment, this can reduce energy costs in the long term and allow the factory to operate in areas without access to the electricity grid.
However, because solar power generation depends on the weather and because the storage capacity of batteries is limited, it is necessary to control the operation of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and other equipment during hours when there is a shortage or surplus of electricity.
Conventional plant factories assume an ideal environment for plant growth, and there are many studies on the ideal environment.
However, no research has been conducted on how to maintain rapid plant growth with regulated power consumption in a solar-powered plant factory.
Our objective was to establish a method to operate a plant factory using only solar power as much as possible by adjusting power consumption through operational control of LEDs, air conditioners, and culture-medium circulation pumps.
When the LED lighting was stopped for 4 days, leafy crops showed physiological disorders.
These disorders could be suppressed by using battery-stored power to operate blue and red LED lighting at low intensity.
When the LED lighting and air conditioning were stopped simultaneously to reduce power consumption, the heat stored by the LED devices caused the air temperature to rise, which, in turn, caused condensation.
Therefore, we suggest that the air conditioner should not be shut down.
When the culture-medium circulation pump was stopped, the dissolved-oxygen concentration in the culture medium decreased.
This indicates that the pump should be operated at regular intervals to supply oxygen to the roots.
Based on these findings, we developed a plant-factory energy management system to control the operation of each device.
However, because solar power generation depends on the weather and because the storage capacity of batteries is limited, it is necessary to control the operation of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and other equipment during hours when there is a shortage or surplus of electricity.
Conventional plant factories assume an ideal environment for plant growth, and there are many studies on the ideal environment.
However, no research has been conducted on how to maintain rapid plant growth with regulated power consumption in a solar-powered plant factory.
Our objective was to establish a method to operate a plant factory using only solar power as much as possible by adjusting power consumption through operational control of LEDs, air conditioners, and culture-medium circulation pumps.
When the LED lighting was stopped for 4 days, leafy crops showed physiological disorders.
These disorders could be suppressed by using battery-stored power to operate blue and red LED lighting at low intensity.
When the LED lighting and air conditioning were stopped simultaneously to reduce power consumption, the heat stored by the LED devices caused the air temperature to rise, which, in turn, caused condensation.
Therefore, we suggest that the air conditioner should not be shut down.
When the culture-medium circulation pump was stopped, the dissolved-oxygen concentration in the culture medium decreased.
This indicates that the pump should be operated at regular intervals to supply oxygen to the roots.
Based on these findings, we developed a plant-factory energy management system to control the operation of each device.
Publication
Authors
T. Jishi, K. Shoji, T. Ishii, S. Bando, N. Itoh, F. Goto, N. Higa, S. Kinjyou
Keywords
artificial lighting, demand response, LED, renewable energy
Groups involved
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Division Greenhouse and Indoor Production Horticulture
- Working Group Nettings in Horticulture (subgroup of Protected Cultivation in Mild Winter Climates)
- Working Group Light in Horticulture
- Working Group Organic Greenhouse Horticulture
- Working Group Vegetable Grafting
- Working Group Modelling Plant Growth, Environmental Control, Greenhouse Environment
- Working Group Protected Cultivation, Nettings and Screens for Mild Climates
- Working Group Computational Fluid Dynamics in Agriculture
- Working Group Design and Automation in Integrated Indoor Production Systems
- Working Group Mechanization, Digitization, Sensing and Robotics
- Working Group Greenhouse Environment and Climate Control
- Division Landscape and Urban Horticulture
- Commission Agroecology and Organic Farming Systems
- Division Vegetables, Roots and Tubers
- Working Group Vertical Farming
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