Solar harvest: Enhancing carbon sequestration and energy efficiency in solar greenhouses with PVT and GSHP systems

Abstract

It is universally acknowledged that climate change brings widespread attention to solar greenhouse plant carbon sequestration. Suitable technologies in solar greenhouses were, are, and will be play a leading role in this vital transition. The primary aim of this research is to examine the energy efficiency and carbon sequestration potential of a solar-assisted ground-source heat pump (SAGSHP) heating system. This hybrid system, which integrates a horizontal ground-source heat pump (GSHP) system with PVT and heat storage, can efficiently fulfill the heating demands of a greenhouse and function as a positive energy building. Four plants include cucumber, tomato, cowpea, and lettuce were selected to compare the carbon absorption effects. Results show that the hybrid system outperforms conventional systems, with a coefficient of performance (COP) of 6.71 during peak hours and PVT efficiency over 57.88%, which effectively meet the heat load of the greenhouse and keep the indoor heat comfortable. In addition, for the carbon sequestration potential of four plants, tomato exhibited the highest photosynthetic carbon sequestration of 3522 kgCO2·m−2. Cowpea showed the strongest daily carbon sequestration capacity at 26.86 gCO2m−2d−1 and better economic income. Through the application of this enhanced solar greenhouse, people can enhance the utilization of solar energy, establish flexible interaction between energy and information flow, and make a promising option for sustainable building design.