Renewable Energy Makes Plant Factory “Smart”

Abstract

The plant converts the light energy into the chemical energy and so does the solar panel the light energy into the electric energy. Is it then possible at all that the solar panel converts light into electricity, which is then converted back into light by artificial lighting devices and then in turn into chemical by the plant? We review, as an experiment, how the power systems provide the plant factories with photovoltaic (PV) renewable energy generated nearby and supplied off-grid (i.e., stand-alone power system or mini-grids typically to provide a smaller community with electricity). Photovoltaics stand for converting light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. A typical photovoltaic system employs solar panels as the largest price component. The number of “solar sharing” facilities has increased in Japan which support solar panels over the cultivation field like wisteria trellis without blocking more than certain percentage of sunshine. However, not only sharing the light between power generation and agriculture, but also directly combining power generation with horticulture has become practical thanks to price commoditization of the solar panels and the lithium-ion batteries. Plant factory or the greenhouses with supplemental lighting by the light-emitting diode (LED) may well be the crossing point of these three innovations in the near future.