ENERGY CONSERVATION BY VENTILATING A GREENHOUSE WITH DEEP-MINE AIR

Use of deep mine air to heat a greenhouse in the winter and cool it in the summer has the potential to reduce significantly the energy required for greenhouse environmental control The humidity will be high at times when a greenhouse is ventilated continuously with air from a deep mine; however, the resulting environment within the greenhouse has been shown to be well suited for the growth of many greenhouse crops.
In addition, when the air is drawn from a coal mine it has a high carbon dioxide content resulting from the natural oxidation of the coal.

The energy efficiency at the mine-ventilated greenhouse when compared to conventional greenhouses was 8.4 times better.
From an engineering analysis it is predicted that when the air is moved between the greenhouse glazing and an inner liner and the plant growing space is heated to 2.8° C above the ground-conditioned air temperature, the efficiency will be 4.4 times better than it is for a conventional greenhouse.

Symposium on More Profitable Use of Energy in Protected Cultivation

J.N. Walker, J.W. Buxton

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1978.76.34