SBIR Phase I: A Sustainable Wavelength Selective Energy Producing Greenhouse

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目题为“可持续的波长选择性能源生产温室”将展示一个温室，可以利用土地进行粮食生产和电力生产。一种具有成本效益和高度耐用的温室面板已经开发出来，同时促进植物生长，减少冷却需求，并以低于1美元/瓦的增量成本发电。温室使用一种专有材料，有选择地吸收太阳光谱中植物不使用的绿色部分。然后，绿色光被传递到安装在面板边缘的光伏电池以获得电力。与控制透射光的红/蓝比率相关联的颜色调谐已经被证明有助于番茄的果实生产并增加花的生产。根据高湿度/高强度紫外线老化研究，颜色调节材料在全日照下的使用寿命超过20年。该项目将用这些材料建造一个完整的温室，并在植物生长方面取得成果，并展示一个可持续的、能源中性的“离网”温室。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是更好地利用该国有限的土地和水资源。许多可能适合太阳能的偏远地区距离输电线路或变电站太远，在经济上不可行，而且对环境敏感。农业用地已经与人口中心共存，并包含必要的输电基础设施。将发电和粮食生产结合起来可以提高人口中心附近土地的生产力，温室将使食物来源更接近消费者，延长生长季节并保护/回收宝贵的水资源。这种发电温室的商业化将启动一个互补的能源农业产业，可以最好地利用我们稀缺的自然资源。温室建设是一个数十亿美元的产业，随着人口和粮食消费的增长而增长。该项目将与当地大学合作，培养新一代的植物学家/生物学家/物理学家，为快速增长的太阳能/农业市场部门服务。 示范温室将被用作从中学到研究生院学生的学习中心。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project entitled "A sustainable Wavelength Selective Energy Producing Greenhouse" will demonstrate a greenhouse that can utilize land for both food production and electricity production. A cost effective and highly durable greenhouse panel has been developed that simultaneously facilitates plant growth, reduces cooling requirements and generates power at less than $1/watt incremental cost. The greenhouse uses a proprietary material to selectively absorb the green portion of the solar spectrum that is not used by plants. The Green light is then transferred to photovoltaic cells mounted at the edge of the panel for power. The color tuning associated with controlling the red/blue ratio of transmitted light has been shown to facilitate fruit production in tomatoes and increase flower production. The color tuning materials have achieved greater than a 20 year lifetime in full sun based on high humidity / high intensity UV aging studies. This project will build a full greenhouse with these materials and obtain results on both plant growth and demonstrate a sustainable, energy neutral, "off the grid" greenhouse.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be to better utilize the limited land and water resources of this country. Much of the remote land that might be suitable for solar energy is too far from transmission lines or sub-stations to be economically viable and is environmentally sensitive. Agricultural land already coexists with population centers and contains the necessary infrastructure for power transmission. Merging both power generation and food production can increase the productivity of land near population centers with greenhouses that will bring the food source closer to the consumer, extend the growing season and conserve/recycle valuable water resources. The commercialization of this power generating greenhouse will start a complimentary energy-agriculture industry that can best utilize our scarce natural resources. Greenhouse construction is a multi-billion industry and is growing as population and food consumption grows. The project will work with local universities to create a new generation of botanist/biologist/physicist that can serve a rapidly growing solar/agriculture market sector. The demonstration greenhouse will be used as a learning center for students from middle school to graduate school.