A01G9/243

AGRICULTURAL PHOTOVOLTAIC STRUCTURE WITH CONTROLLED COOLING
20230148487 · 2023-05-18 · ·

An agricultural photovoltaic structure (1) is described comprising at least one support structure (2), photovoltaic panels (3) and glass (4) supported by the support structure (2), irrigation means (7) for an underlying agricultural land (6), lighting means (5) of the underlying agricultural land (6), and control means. The support structure (2) comprises at least one frame (23) able to support, side by side, both the photovoltaic panels (3) and the glasses (4), implementing a cover over the agricultural land (6) partly suitable for diffusing light over the underlying agricultural land (6) by the glass (4), The irrigation means (7) include nozzles able to wet the lower part of the photovoltaic panels (3) thus cooling them, the water then falling by gravity onto the agricultural land (6). The control means are able to activate the irrigation means (7) and the lighting means (5) on the basis of sensors.

Method for monitoring growth of plants and generating a plant grow schedule

One variation of a method for monitoring growth of plants within a facility includes: aggregating global ambient data recorded by a suite of fixed sensors, arranged proximal a grow area within the facility, at a first frequency during a grow period; extracting interim outcomes of a set of plants, occupying a module in the grow area, from module-level images recorded by a mover at a second frequency less than the first frequency while interfacing with the module during the period of time; dispatching the mover to autonomously deliver the module to a transfer station; extracting interim outcomes of the set of plants from plant-level images recorded by the transfer station while sequentially transferring plants out of the module at the conclusion of the grow period; and deriving relationships between ambient conditions, interim outcomes, and final outcomes from a corpus of plant records associated with plants grown in the facility.

Concentrating solar power with glasshouses
09851544 · 2017-12-26 · ·

A protective transparent enclosure, such as a greenhouse, encloses a concentrated solar power system having line-focus solar energy concentrators. The line-focus solar energy concentrators have a reflective front layer, a core layer, and a rear layer. The core and the rear layers, when bonded with the reflective front layer, enable the line-focus solar energy concentrator, in some embodiments, to retain a particular form without additional strengthening elements. In some embodiments, the core layer and/or the rear layer are formed by removing material from a single piece of material.

Centralized predictive controller for management and optimal operation of microgrid powered greenhouses

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.

Method and system for dynamic power delivery to a flexible growcenter using unutilized energy sources

A flexible growcenter includes a mobile container, a behind-the-meter power input system, a power distribution system, a growcenter control system, a climate control system, a lighting system, and an irrigation system. The growcenter control system modulates power delivery to one or more components of the climate control system, the lighting system, and the irrigation system based on unutilized behind-the-meter power availability or an operational directive. A method of dynamic power delivery to a flexible growcenter using unutilized behind-the-meter power includes monitoring unutilized behind-the-meter power availability, determining when a growcenter ramp-up condition is met, and enabling behind-the-meter power delivery to one or more computing systems when the growcenter ramp-up condition is met.

PLANT CULTIVATION DEVICE
20170347538 · 2017-12-07 · ·

The present invention is a plant cultivation device. The water tank supplies cultivation water to the cultivation tank via an irrigation conduit. The water tank also suctions cultivation water from the cultivation tank via a water-sucking pipe. The heat-collecting part receives sunlight, and the pressure of air that is heated inside the air-storage part presses the surface of the water inside the water tank. The water tank supplies cultivation water that has been pressed by said air to a culture medium material. The heat-collecting part raises the surface of the water inside the water tank as a result of the heated air being cooled by a decrease in the sunlight. The water tank suctions cultivation water from a bottom section of the cultivation tank.

Adjustable System and Apparatus For Promoting Plant Growth and Production
20230182161 · 2023-06-15 ·

A system and adjustable apparatus for applying CO.sub.2 gas to improve Cannabis production. The system includes upstream and downstream stages or subsystems. The upstream subsystem receives and stores gas, particularly CO2 gas. It monitors the environment of the downstream subsystem, determines when and how to apply gas to plants growing in the downstream system, acquires gas stored in the upstream subsystem, and distributes it to the downstream system. It also has various monitoring, command and control, management, and reporting features. The downstream subsystem includes one or more plant growth areas or plots, gas distribution means, such as gas conduits, tubes or lines from the midstream subsystem, and the high efficiency, adjustable gas applicator, and various sensing and monitoring devices communicatively connected to the upstream subsystem. Also disclosed are systems, apparatus and methods for pest control, humidity control, and odor control.

Soil cultivation system equipped with solar panel
09781884 · 2017-10-10 · ·

In the soil cultivation system equipped with a solar panel, the space between ridges of a plurality of frame units supporting the solar panels is coupled with a roof member, furthermore, the perimeter surface thereof is integrally covered with a cover unit. In this way, a cultivation house in which the frame units are used as support columns is established. Then, in the solar panels, light transmitting regions are provided, a transmissive member is used as the roof member and thus agricultural plants are cultivated by light passing through the light transmitting regions and the roof member. Furthermore, the cultivation of the agricultural plants is performed in cultivation tanks in which a soil is put, and an appropriate cultivation nutrient solution is supplied through a supply means. In this way, the cultivation environment of the agricultural plants is managed, and thus the agricultural plants can be efficiently cultivated while the burden of an operator is reduced.

Luminescent Electricity-Generating Window for Plant Growth
20170288080 · 2017-10-05 ·

A window for a greenhouse is provided that is comprised of a sheet of luminescent material [104] and light-energy converter [103]. The sheet comprises one or more luminescent materials [104] that absorb the peak wavelengths of the sun, emitting the absorbed photons to wavelengths primarily between 600 and 690 nm where they are converted to electrical power and/or enhance plant production. The luminescent material [104] is also transparent to a fraction of the wavelengths in the blue and red-portion of the solar spectrum which are required for plant growth and flowering. An additional polymer layer may be added as a luminescent layer, diffuser and/or IR reflector to further enhance plant growth and electricity generation.

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DYNAMIC POWER DELIVERY TO A FLEXIBLE DATACENTER USING UNUTILIZED ENERGY SOURCES
20220050433 · 2022-02-17 ·

A flexible datacenter includes a mobile container, a behind-the-meter power input system, a power distribution system, a datacenter control system, a plurality of computing systems, and a climate control system. The datacenter control system modulates power delivery to the plurality of computing systems based on unutilized behind-the-meter power availability or an operational directive. A method of dynamic power delivery to a flexible datacenter using unutilized behind-the-meter power includes monitoring unutilized behind-the-meter power availability, determining when a datacenter ramp-up condition is met, enabling behind-the-meter power delivery to one or more computing systems when the datacenter ramp-up condition is met, and directing the one or more computing systems to perform predetermined computational operations.