Greenhouse owners are continuously looking for ways to improve their operations while minimizing the environmental impacts of their choices. After all, global warming is one of their greatest enemies in this line of business. One solution they have discovered is solar power for greenhouses, utilizing a renewable, unlimited, and free energy source. Now, their greenhouses have just become “greener,” one step at a time.
Introduction to Solar Power for Greenhouses
The Romans and The Greenhouse
Did you know that the first ever greenhouse on the planet was actually recorded all the way back during the ancient Roman empire era around 30 AD? It was said that at that time, Emperor Tiberius Caesar was craving for some cucumbers or that his royal physicians recommended that he eat a cucumber every day for good health. Since it was difficult to grow this type of crop during the cold season, the Roman engineers were tasked to create a structure that would allow sunlight to seep into the room, prevent the heat from escaping out of the building, and of course, grow the cucumbers and keep it from freezing to death. Amazing, isn’t it?
Greenhouses Nowadays
Just like how amazing the history of the first greenhouse is, the evolution of the modern day greenhouses are nothing short of brilliance. Greenhouses now come in different sizes and even shapes depending on the needs or preferences of the greenhouse owner. The same is true when it comes to the components that make up a greenhouse - synthetic or glass covering; wood or aluminum frame; fuel powered backup power source or solar powered generator. The possibilities these days are just endless, well, as long as the budget isn’t a problem. Best of all is that through modern technology, it’s now easier to upgrade and expand a greenhouse than in the past.
Solar Power - The Force from the Sun
The energy coming from the sun has a lot of benefits for all the living things on the planet.
● The sun keeps us warm during cold weather.
● It helps plants grow strong and healthy.
● It keeps the planet from freezing.
● It is available anywhere you go.
● It is renewable and will never run out of supply.
Let the Sun Shine Through the Greenhouse
Greenhouses will not function at all without the presence of the sun. It is the light and the heat from the sun that goes into the greenhouse that warms the plants and air inside. During the daytime, a greenhouse will collect as much solar power as it can to grow the plants and keep them healthy and happy. At nighttime, the collected solar power in the morning will provide the warmth needed inside the greenhouse. After all, plants, just like humans, need to keep themselves toasty, especially during cold winter nights.
Greenhouses During Extreme Weather and Power Outages
Greenhouse owners are not only plant growers but also entrepreneurs who work hard to gain as much profit as they can from their businesses.
It is apparent these days that due to climate change, weather conditions are becoming more intense and power outages, are rampant. That is why more and more greenhouse owners are looking for ways to prepare themselves in times like this. It is crucial to have a strong main plan with multiple backup plans to ensure that the crops are secured, and profit is protected.
The best and probably the only way to get through this type of hurdle is to have a reliable backup power source that can deliver the ample amount of power that is needed to keep the greenhouse going until power is restored.
The good news is that there is a wide variety of backup power sources available in the market to choose from. One of which is the solar powered generator. This type of backup power source is becoming increasingly popular among greenhouse owners and even preferred over the most commonly used fuel powered generator.
Advantages of Using Solar Powered Generator in Your Greenhouse
What better way to harness the sun’s full potential than to use it for your greenhouse and at the same time, to recharge and power up your solar powered generator.
There are a good number of reasons why more and more greenhouse owners are going for solar powered generators nowadays. Let’s find out why.
● Renewable and Free Power Source - When a solar powered generator needs recharging, you only need the presence of the sun which you will get every day and you can harvest its power as many times as you want for as long as it's available and best of all, it’s free for life.
● Cost efficient - Buying the actual equipment may cost more than the price of other types of generators but that will most likely be the only price you have to pay for its lifetime unless, of course, you’d want to upgrade it.
● Environment Friendly - Solar powered generators do not emit any harmful gas into the air and are generally quiet making them a great pollution-free option.
Tips when Buying a Solar Powered Generator for your Greenhouse
● Identify your Purpose
Ask yourself what is the main purpose of the solar powered generator you are going to buy. Is it going to be your main backup power source? Which part of the greenhouse will that generator power up? Will I plan on upgrading it in the future? Once you know the answer to this, you can start filtering your options from there.
● Research the Most Reliable Brands
When buying a solar powered generator, make sure that you’ve done your research in terms of all the available options in your area including the most trusted and highly recommended brands. Apart from prices and features, you need to learn their replacement and warranty conditions and after sales support.
● Find Out How Much Power is Needed
The last thing you’d want to happen is an unexpected power outage killing all your crops and burning all that could have been your profit. So, make sure that you have the right backup power source capacity for your greenhouse.
In the local scene, Nature’s Generator is one of the highly recommended brands when it comes to solar powered generators. They are known for offering some of the best solar powered generators with great features at very reasonable prices. Highlights of their products can be found below.
■ This portable solar generator is perfect for everyday and emergency use in your greenhouse
■ It can power up parts of your greenhouse that do not require too much electricity
■ It has 3 AC outlets - up to 1800-W of AC power and 2 USB ports - up to 3 Amp / 15-W output
■ Has a solar panel that provides up to 100-W of recharging power
■ 90-Watt built-in quick charge battery charger
■ Solar (200-W) and Wind (300-W) charging capabilities
■ Battery Capacity: 12V 60Ah (720Wh)
■ Integrated uninterrupted power supply (UPS) function
■ Power expansion port available
■ Using included AC Cord - Estimated recharge time: 10 - 15 hrs.
■ Using Nature's Generator Power Panel - Estimated recharge time: 10 - 15 hrs.
■ LCD display showing system information
■ Comes with a universal heavy-duty cart for ease of transport
■ Another great backup power source option is Nature’s Generator Elite. This is the perfect mid-range choice for you if Nature’s Generator juice isn’t enough for your greenhouse power needs and that you won’t be needing Nature’s Generator Powerhouse capacity.
■ It has 3 AC outlets - up to 3600-W of AC power and 2 USB ports - up to 3 Amp / 15-W output
■ It has a solar panel that provides up to 100-W of recharging power
■ 190-Watt built-in quick charge battery charger
■ Solar (300-W) and Wind (300-W) charging capabilities
■ Battery Capacity: 12V 100Ah (1200Wh)
■ Integrated uninterrupted power supply (UPS) function
■ Power expansion port available
■ Using included AC Cord - Estimated recharge time: 8 - 12 hrs.
■ Using Nature's Generator Power Panel - Estimated recharge time: 10 - 12 hrs.
■ LCD display showing system information
■ Comes with a universal heavy-duty cart for ease of transport
○ Nature’s Generator Powerhouse
■ This eco-power beast is the top choice when it comes to making sure that all parts of your greenhouse will continue to work during a power loss.
■ It is expandable in many ways - solar panels, wind turbines, power pods, transfer switch, security camera system, and more - making it a great and reliable companion in times of power outages.
■ Nature’s Generator Powerhouse comes with a monstrous maximum power output of 240V/7200-W - the perfect greenhouse lifesaver when power is down
■ It has 3 AC outlets - 2 outlets that can handle up to 3600-W of AC power & 1 outlet that can handle up to 7200-W.
■ It also has 5 USB ports (Type A & Type C compatible) - 5V, up to 3 Amp / 15-W output.
■ Solar (2000-W) and Wind (1000-W) charging capabilities
■ Battery Capacity: 48V 100Ah (4800Wh)
If you have some more questions or need more guidance before making a decision, we’ll be happy to help you and provide a free quote. Kindly click here for assistance.
Final Thoughts
The sun has gifted the greenhouse community the solar power they need to grow their crops and make money out of it.
To fully maximize the sun’s potential, more and more greenhouse owners these days have started using solar powered generators as their backup power source during power outages making their greenhouse even “greener”.
Now that is what we call making hay while there’s sunshine!
* We want to give credit where credit is due. Professional writer, Ann Mathew, contributed research and content to this blog titled: Solar Power for Greenhouse Thank you, Ann, for your contributions!
