New research shows plants grow just fine in solar cell greenhouses
04/27/2021 / By Divina Ramirez
Greenhouses fitted with semitransparent organic solar cells (ST-OSCs) can generate power for heating without affecting plant growth, according to new research from North Carolina State University (NCSU).
Published in Cell Reports Physical Science, it demonstrated that ST-OSCs could turn greenhouses into energy-neutral structures by capturing energy from wavelengths of light not used by plants during photosynthesis.
ST-OSCs don’t affect plant growth
The researchers sought to use ST-OSCs to reduce the energy footprint of greenhouses. Scientists can adjust ST-OSCs in such a way that they capture a portion of light for generating power and allow the rest to pass through. However, it’s not clear how plants in greenhouses fitted with ST-OSCs would react.
https://www.climate.news/2021-04-27-greenhouse-plants-grow-well-with-solar-cell.html
