Greenhouse
There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass and block it as heat.
[1] When the inside of a greenhouse is exposed to sunlight, the temperature increases, providing a sheltered environment for plants to grow even in cold weather.
The glass greenhouses are filled with equipment including screening installations, heating, cooling, and lighting, and may be controlled by a computer to optimize conditions for plant growth.
Different techniques are then used to manage growing conditions, including air temperature, relative humidity and vapour-pressure deficit, in order to provide the optimum environment for cultivation of a specific crop.
According to the climatic zone of communities, people were limited to a select range of species and time of the year in which they could grow plants.
[6] Soon ui Jeon was a physician to the royal family, and Sangayorok was intended to provide the nobility with important agricultural and housekeeping knowledge.
[6] Within the section of agricultural techniques, Soon ui Jeon wrote how to build a greenhouse that was able to cultivate vegetables and other plants in the winter.
[6] In addition to the ondol, a cauldron filled with water was also heated to create steam and increase the temperature and humidity in the greenhouse.
[6] The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty confirm that greenhouse-like structures incorporating ondol were constructed to provide heat for mandarin orange trees during the winter of 1438.
Experimentation with greenhouse design continued during the 17th century in Europe, as technology produced better glass and construction techniques improved.
Washington wrote: I shall essay the finishing of my greenhouse this fall, but find that neither myself, nor any person about me is so well skilled in the internal constructions as to proceed without a probability at least of running into errors.
My house is (of Brick) 40 feet by 24, in the outer dimensions …[10]The French botanist Charles Lucien Bonaparte is often credited with building the first practical modern greenhouse in Leiden, Holland, during the 1800s to grow medicinal tropical plants.
The curated environments in glasshouses aimed to capture "the Western imagination of an idealised landscape" and support the fantasy of the cultural 'other'.
Gutter-connected greenhouses are commonly covered with structured polycarbonate materials, or a double layer of polyethylene film with air blown between to provide increased heating efficiencies.
As the structure is not open to the atmosphere, the warmed air cannot escape via convection due to the presence of roof and walls, so the temperature inside the greenhouse rises.
Quantitative studies suggest that the effect of infrared radiative cooling is not negligibly small, and may have economic implications in a heated greenhouse.
Ventilation also ensures a supply of fresh air for photosynthesis and plant respiration, and may enable important pollinators to access the greenhouse crop.
With traditional plastic greenhouse coverings having an R-value of around 2, a great amount of money is therefore spent to continually replace the heat lost.
[21] The benefits of carbon dioxide enrichment to about 1100 parts per million in greenhouse cultivation to enhance plant growth has been known for nearly 100 years.
[22][23][24] After the development of equipment for the controlled serial enrichment of carbon dioxide, the technique was established on a broad scale in the Netherlands.
The refinery reduces its carbon emissions, whilst the nursery enjoys boosted tomato yields and does not need to provide its own greenhouse heating.
In addition, laboratory experiments, free air carbon enrichment (FACE) test plots,[38][39] and field measurements provide replicability.
The glass greenhouses are filled with equipment such as screening installations, heating, cooling and lighting, and may be automatically controlled by a computer.
Originating in 1978, these greenhouses feature three solid walls, often made of brick or clay, with a transparent south-facing side that captures solar heat during the day.
[47] Over time, innovations like modern insulation materials and automated night curtains have been incorporated, enhancing their efficiency and maintaining a stable environment for crops.
Despite their simplicity and cost-effectiveness, Chinese solar greenhouses have some limitations, such as the need for proper orientation to maximize sunlight and challenges with the durability of plastic film coverings.
[48] Nevertheless, they remain a practical solution for year-round farming in regions with significant temperature variations, and are widely used across northern China.
Depending upon the technical specification of a greenhouse, key factors that may be controlled include temperature, levels of light and shade, irrigation, fertilizer application, and atmospheric humidity.
[49][50] As they may enable certain crops to be grown throughout the year, greenhouses are increasingly important in the food supply of high-latitude countries.
For example, in November 2017 GlassPoint announced that it is developing a solar enhanced oil recovery facility near Bakersfield, CA that uses greenhouses to enclose its parabolic troughs.
