Abstract
The integration of renewable energy sources into greenhouse crop production in southeastern Spain could provide extra income for growers. Wind energy could be captured by small to medium-sized wind turbines, gas could be produced from biomass, and solar energy could be gathered by solar panels. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of flexible solar panels, mounted on top of a greenhouse for electricity production, on yield and fruit quality of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersycum L., cv Daniela). This study was undertaken in a commercial raspa y amagado greenhouse, typical of the Almería region (Spain). Tomato plantlets were planted at a density of 0.75 plants m-2. The flexible solar panels were mounted on two parts of the roof in different arrangements (T1 and T2), each blacking out 9.8 % of its surface area. A control area (T0 arrangement) was fitted with no panels. No difference was found in terms of total or marketable production under these three arrangements, although fruit mean mass and maximum diameter of T0 were significantly greater than T1 and T2. Fruit in T0 matured earlier with more intense color compared with those in T1 and T2. However, these differences had no effect on price as the tomatoes produced under three conditions fell into the same commercial class (G class; diameter 67-81 mm). Solar panels covering 9.8 % roof area of the greenhouse did not affect yield and price of tomatoes despite of their negative effect on fruit size and color.
Highlights
The integration of renewable energy sources into greenhouse crop production in southeastern Spain could provide extra income for growers
Wind energy could be captured by small to medium-sized wind turbines, gas could be produced from biomass, and solar energy could be gathered by solar panels (Callejón-Ferre et al, 2011)
Given the strong global solar radiation that falls in Almería (Spain), and the recent technological advances that have reduced the cost of producing solar energy, the installation of flexible solar panels on greenhouse roofs is an interesting proposition for growers (Varun et al, 2009)
Summary
The integration of renewable energy sources into greenhouse crop production in southeastern Spain could provide extra income for growers. Given the strong global solar radiation that falls in Almería (Spain), and the recent technological advances that have reduced the cost of producing solar energy, the installation of flexible solar panels on greenhouse roofs is an interesting proposition for growers (Varun et al, 2009). The Almería region has about 27,000 ha of greenhouses (Callejón-Ferre et al, 2010), whose roofs could provide a huge area where solar panels might be mounted. Crop yield is linearly related to the amount of solar radiation reaching the plants, fruit mass falls linearly with increasing temperature after the optimum temperature (18 oC) is surpassed (Newton et al, 1999). Total production may not be affected this can lead to significant reductions in marketable production (Medrano et al, 2005)
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