A substantially slow moving lawnmower capable of slowly mowing a lawn solely depends on the sun power is presented. The lawnmower needs no recharging from any other power source. A small battery is used to regulate the unsteady sun power so that normal mowing operation can be continued for a specific time period depends on the capacity of the battery. The lawnmower operates by itself continuously with least human interruption.

Container for aquatic plants, which can be filled with water, the side walls and bottom of which comprise an outer wall and a bottom wall, respectively, in each instance, followed, toward the interior of the container, by an intermediate layer that consists of an insulating material. On the inside of the container, the insulating material is completely covered with a water-tight plastic film, in the manner of a tub, or by a water-tight basin composed of transparent glass. On the bottom of the tub or of the basin and/or in a plant pot situated in the container, there is a plant culture medium that makes growth of aquatic plants possible, and preferably winter-hardy and/or non-winter-hardy aquatic plants are disposed in the container, which is filled with water.

A ventilation apparatus for ventilating a building. The ventilation apparatus comprises a casing comprising: a cavity for housing a removable heat-exchange cartridge; a service door providing access to the cavity; a primary and secondary pathways fluidly connecting the inside of the budding to the outside of the budding, wherein the primary pathway and the secondary pathway cross the cavity along about perpendicular axes; a primary ventilator for forcing an airflow in the budding through the primary pathway; and a controllable secondary ventilator for forcing a controllable airflow through the secondary pathway. The ventilation apparatus, when the casing houses the heat-exchange cartridge, has the primary ventilator forcing an inflow of air through the primary pathway, and (ii) the controllable second ventilator for controllably forcing either an outflow or an inflow of air through the secondary pathway. The ventilation apparatus, without heat-exchange cartridge, has only inflow(s) forced through the pathway(s).

A method of growing plants comprising determining preferential light wavelengths for promoting growth of a plant. The method further comprises constructing one or more light filtering panels arranged to filter natural sunlight or artificial light to produce filtered light comprising the preferential wavelengths. In addition, the method comprises locating one or more plants in a structure constructed at least in part from one or more of the panels. The method also comprises illuminating the structure from outside with natural sunlight or artificial light to pass through the one or more panels and produce the filtered light wherein the filtered light is directed to radiate the plants.

Carbon dioxide molecules can be fixed by growing plants through plant photosynthesis. When the photons that cause the plant synthesis are properly tuned to enhance plant photosynthesis and are generated by a combination of a solar panel of carbon footprint below a threshold and a LED light source of carbon footprint below a threshold and conversion efficiency above a threshold, more CO.sub.2 molecule will be fix by the plant photosynthesis than emitted by the system.

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for a greenhouse indoor environment controller based on model predictive control (MPC), which can be integrated into existing greenhouse regulatory systems to optimally maintain critical climatic variables, including artificial lighting levels, CO.sub.2, indoor temperature, and humidity levels within acceptable limits. The objectives of the MPC may be to maximize the rate of crop photosynthesis while optimizing the use of the available water and energy resources, taking into account the unpredictability and intermittent nature of renewable energies and external atmospheric conditions. Accordingly, certain embodiments may facilitate the management of greenhouses by anticipating control actions for a better quality of production. For that, mathematical formulations of the optimal control problem may be described, and the numerical results related to the application of the MPC to case studies are described integrating the effects of greenhouse structural considerations and the influence of climate data on its operation.

An apparatus comprising an irrigation sprinkler body cover with an integrated battery-powered decoder is disclosed. A method of retrofitting existing irrigation systems to wirelessly communicate with one or more of the present apparatus is also disclosed. Concerning the present method, an irrigation controller provides message data to a gateway regarding the control of irrigation valves. The gateway contains configurable encoder software that encodes and then wirelessly transmits the message data, for example via long-range radio hardware at 902-928 MHz frequency. The encoded data is received by a present apparatus to which the message is addressed. The apparatus decodes the message data and subsequently provides a power signal via wire to one or more proximally-located DC latching solenoid valves to control the irrigation valves according to the user input.

A light harvester or collector collects solar radiation from an unshaded location adjacent a growing plant. The light harvester can be either imaging (e.g., parabolic reflectors) or non-imaging (e.g., compound parabolic concentrator). The concentrated solar radiation is projected into a light transmitter that conducts the light through the plant's outer canopy and into the inner canopy to a diffuser which disperses and reradiates the light into the inner canopy. The diffused light transforms a non-productive, potentially leafless zone of the plant into a productive zone so that more fruit can be produced per volume of land surface. The system can prevent transmission of infrared into the inner canopy so that the inner canopy zone is not heated and the amount of water lost to transpiration is reduced. The system can also modify other spectral components to affect plant development and to control pests and diseases.

A solar reactive mulch film comprising one or more layers of heat shrink material pre-strained at a predetermined temperature and tension. Immediately cooling the pre-strained layers retains molecular deformation stresses in the material which facilitate shrinkage but not expansion on exposure to solar radiation. The mulch film adapted to be laid over longitudinal growing beds and held tautly by burying its side edges in soil. Exposure of uncovered portions of film to solar radiation causes shrinkage in one or more directions whereby in combination with the weight of the soil holding it down, maintains tautness of the mulch over a growing period. Methods of manufacture and use of the same.

A felling unit and a method of harvesting small-dimensioned wood in a forest. A felling unit comprises a cutting device with two disc blades and a cutting gap between them for cutting small-dimensioned trees. The cut small-dimensioned trunks are transferred from the cutting gap to a temporary storage space by means of a transfer device comprising two transfer shafts with a transfer gap between them. The disc blades and the transfer shafts are both rotated in opposite directions relative to each other, i.e. towards the cutting gap and the feeding gap.