An Analysis of the Influence of Construct Parameters on the Solar Radiation Input in an Insulated Plastic Greenhouse

Abstract

Insulated plastic greenhouses (IPG) were a new type of facility emerging in production in China. The mechanism of construct parameters on the indoor solar radiation deserves further study. A mathematical model that can well describe the spatial and temporal distribution of solar radiation in the greenhouse was established. Based on this model, the effects of multiple construct parameters, such as insulation blanket shading, height–span ratio, greenhouse azimuth, and geographical latitude, on the indoor solar radiation of IPG were quantitatively specified. The results showed that the spatial and temporal distribution of inside solar radiation was highly variable along the span direction of IPG. And by analyzing the simulation data, it was found that for different heights of greenhouses, the corresponding optimal span is different. Therefore, in the construction of greenhouses, the appropriate height–span ratio should be selected according to the planting demand. And by simulating the inside solar radiation under different greenhouse azimuth angles, it was found that accumulated daily solar radiation in the greenhouse reaches the optimum value when the greenhouse azimuth angle is in the range of 0–20°. This paper can provide theoretical guidance for the design and optimization of structure parameters of IPG in China.