Essentials Of A Solar Greenhouse.
Growing plants and flowers is a very productive hobby and some people make extra cash by selling their high quality self grown crops. That is why a lot of people use the solar greenhouse. This post is going to explain to you what a solar greenhouse actually is.
What Is a Solar Greenhouse?
The major purpose of a greenhouse is simply to collect solar energy on sunny days, but the purpose of a solar greenhouse is more specific. A solar greenhouse has the ability to store the heat and use it through cold nights, cloudy days or throughout the winter season.
There are some choices you will have to make when building a solar greenhouse. Solar greenhouses are stand alone structures and are great for commercial use. There are two primary solar greenhouse designs:
The Shed Type.
This type of greenhouse has a long axis from east to west. The glasses are placed facing south to collect as much energy from the sun as they can. The north facing wall is insulated to prevent warmth loss. These special features create a marked difference between a solar and a regular greenhouse.
The Quonset Type.
This type of solar greenhouse, which is a low-cost one, looks more like a huge army tent or underground tunnel. The tunnel shaped greenhouse is plastered with two layers of plastic that will bring in the sunlight and preserve it inside.
Passive or Active?
There are two classifications for these types of greenhouses, the active and the passive greenhouse. The difference between them is the way in which they use the energy to achieve the goal of protecting the plants inside.
Passive Solar Greenhouse.
There are places where the winter lasts longer and gas and electricity has to be used to keep the climate in your greenhouse at the required level for plant growth. This is the only way to protect your plants and is great for commercial growers who can maintain their productivity even during the cold winters.
Active Solar Greenhouse.
The Active greenhouse makes use of a supplemental source of energy. It uses the solar heated air that is stored somewhere else. This way of using energy is really loved by people who have concerns about the environment and global warming.
Hot To Design A Solar Greenhouse
A lot of people will say that running a normal greenhouse does not differ much from running a solar greenhouse. But in reality the two greenhouses differ in a number of ways. The most significant difference between them is mentioned below:
Solar greenhouses have specially oriented glazing and this glass is designed to squeeze everything it can out of the solar energy it collects. It is also designed to have minimal heat loss and uses materials that store heat for long periods of time. The solar greenhouse also has a better insulation and depends more on natural ventilation.
The Storage Of Solar Heat.
One main feature of a solar greenhouse is that the storage of heat during the day can be used when the nights get cold. The greenhouse needs to remain at a controlled temperature and to do that there must be some heat stores. The best way to store heat is to use rocks or concrete, which are placed under the sun during the day to absorb solar energy. This warmth is spread through the greenhouse during the night.
Another way to store solar energy is a cinder block wall on the north side of the greenhouse or dark colored ceramic floorings which are efficiant for storing solar energy. If you dont want the floor to absorb the energy then you will need to make sure that your floor is light colored because light colors reflect light and energy.
