Session: 16-01-01: Government Agency Student Poster Competition

Paper Number: 150495

150495 - Greenhouse Energy Savings by Photothermal Plasmonic Nanoparticle Coatings 

Energy management in greenhouses is essential because of their significant energy demand to maintain optimal conditions for crops. Greenhouse thermal management directly affects on crop growth and greenhouse energy consumption. This research introduces an innovative greenhouse covering coating based on photothermal plasmonic nanoparticles. This study aims to enhance greenhouses' energy efficiency by employing the intrinsic plasmonic nanoparticles' features like localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Antimony Tin Oxide (ATO) nanoparticles were utilized in this study and were deposited on polyethylene greenhouse coverings. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to charectrize the ATO deposition and investigate the properties of the coated coverings. Additionally, UV-Vis spectroscopy and emissivity analysis were conducted to assess the thermal and optical properties of the coated materials. obtaining optical and thermal properties of the developed covering by experiments, to study the impact of ATO nanoparticle coatings on the greenhouse energy consumption, a comprehensive greenhouse energy system model was developed considering various climate zones ranging from very hot to subarctic. The energy performance of the ATO-coated coverings was compared with both single-layer and double-layer PE greenhouse coverings and a detailed analysis of the greenhouse energy consumption was performed and presented. Heating, cooling, lighting, and total energy consumption of the greenhouses were studied daily, seasonly, and annualy. The findings revealed significant annual energy savings in most climate zones when using ATO nanoparticles on greenhouse coverings. Although ATO coating caused a little increase in lighting and cooling energy consumption, it considerably reduced heating energy consumption in all climate zones. In very cold climates, heating energy consumption decreased by 70%, resulting in a 49% reduction in total energy consumption in the greenhouse for that zone. In cool, cold, and subarctic climates, the total energy savings exceeded 30%. However, the results indicated that ATO nanoparticles were less effective in very hot and hot climates as heating energy consumption is minor in these climates. Importantly, this energy reduction was achieved without compromising photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and crops growth. The PAR-to-Solar-Transmittance (PST) value increased by 75% with the ATO-coated covering compared to single-layer PE. Based on this study's results, guidelines for greenhouse covering utilization are provided for each climate zone to optimize energy use in greenhouses. Although this study shows high potential ability of plasmonic nanoparticles in greenhouse energy savings, there is still more energy savings can be achieved by them considering quasi-ballistic effect and micro/nano heat transfer caused by plasmonic nanoparticles. Future works regarding this effect are suggested. This research represents a significant advancement in the application of innovative materials in greenhouses, paving the way for more energy-efficient and sustainable agricultural industry.

 

 

 

 

Presenting Author: Mohammad Elmi Pennsylvania State University

Presenting Author Biography: Mohammad Elmi is a Ph.D. candidate at Pennsylvania State University in Architectural Engineering Department. His background is in Mechanical Engineering and Energy Systems Engineering. He is expertise in building energy systems, photothermal conversion, Nano/Micro heat transfer, and nanomaterials. He currently works on plasmonic nanoparticles and their applications in energy managements.

Authors:

Mohammad Elmi Pennsylvania State University
Enhe Zhang Pennsylvania State University
Julian Wang Pennsylvania state University