A master thesis from Aalborg University
Thermo-economic Analysis of a Solar Pit Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage for Greenhouse Heating
Author(s)
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-05-29
Pages
111 pages
Abstract
Greenhouse farming is rising due to the high demand of fresh diverse produce and given the fossil-fuel paradigm, it is urging the implementation of renewable and sustainable technologies in this industry. This thesis is based on the heat demand of a tomato greenhouse implemented on the region of Aarhus, Denmark, with internal temperature variations from 18 to 22 ℃, using as main energy source a 2000 m^3 pit seasonal thermal energy storage unit, aided by a 3000〖 m〗^2 U-pipe shaped evacuated tube collector field as energy source, having water as medium and with maximum operating temperature of 85 ℃. In order to understand the feasibility of using a pit storage unit to cope the greenhouse’s temperature requirements, a thermo-economic analysis was done, conducting an energetic examination based on the heat balance of all units and economically, by a net present value (NPV) approach. Knowing the greenhouse hourly heat demand pattern on a year-basis, a multi-node approach was taken to predict stratification in the, dependent on in-and-out fluxes from the collector field and greenhouse. The modelling showed that it is possible to cover a 73 % of a 2000 m^2 tomato growth greenhouse’s heat demand for an optimal temperature control, with a solar collector field and pit storage efficiencies of 33.5 % and 80.5 %, respectively. The setup showed a positive NPV of 200,000 € on a 20 years lifetime basis and a payback period of 10 years.
Keywords
Documents
Colophon: This page is part of the AAU Student Projects portal, which is run by Aalborg University. Here, you can find and download publicly available bachelor's theses and master's projects from across the university dating from 2008 onwards. Student projects from before 2008 are available in printed form at Aalborg University Library.
If you have any questions about AAU Student Projects or the research registration, dissemination and analysis at Aalborg University, please feel free to contact the VBN team. You can also find more information in the AAU Student Projects FAQs.