Model for heating demand in

greenhouses
Author: Diego Hangartner
Teacher: Prof. Dr. Stefanie Hellweg
Assistants: Dipl. Ing Franziska Stössel
Dr. Ronnie Juraske

Faculty: Energy Science and Technology ETHZ Semester Project Begin: 1. November 2009

Department: Environmental Engineering Semester Project End: 26. February 2010

ABSTRACT

In this paper, a model for heating demand was implemented for greenhouses according to the energy balance equations in
the SIA 380/1 norm for buildings. The purpose of this model is to provide a general tool to assess the heating demand for
any type of greenhouse, at any location in the world and for any type of crop. The model was applied for a case study in
Wageningen (NL) [1] for tomato production and the results of the model are compared with the empirical values given in
the paper. The results show that the model fits well the empirical data. The average heating demand for an 11 months crop
duration is around 35 MJ/kg, whereas the empirical data show an average at around 27 MJ/kg. A sensitivity analysis of all
parameters was conducted to analyze the impact of each parameter on the results. The most sensitive parameters are the
temperature required by the crop Tin, the U-value of the greenhouse kj, the total area Atot and the crop yield Yharvest.
Changes in 10% of these parameters lead to a change in more than 10% in the output. A model uncertainty analysis was
performed for the 90% confidence interval with all natural fluctuating parameters, such as temperature, solar irradiation
and crop yield. Those values were attributed the 0.05 and 0.95 percentile values and the model was run for the best and
worst case scenario. The results are very conclusive: all empirical data lie within the 90% confidence interval of the model.
The model can thus be used as a tool for farmers to assess the heating demand of their greenhouse. For engineers, this
model can be used in Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), when data for the energy consumption for heating in greenhouses are
not provided.

Keywords: Energy, heating demand, greenhouse

1. Introduction

Greenhouse plants represent a major path for agricultural production in the world, since high yields can be obtained.
Production can occur on several layers, enhancing the output per square meter in comparison with traditional
agriculture on land. The crop can also grow at optimal conditions regardless of the weather, facilitating crop
management such as the time of harvesting and providing an additional security of minimum yield. Furthermore, less
water is needed per crop due to back-flow reuses, making production in greenhouses also attractive in southern
European countries. While production in greenhouse presents many advantages, it is very energy intensive, especially
in the winter, when the heating demand reaches its highest level. According to several studies [5][6], the largest
energy share for growing crops is diesel (~40%), fertilizer (~30%), electricity (~15%) and chemicals (~10%). From
the perspective of a farmer, the energy required for the heating is the major factor for considering growing any type of
crops, as it defines most part of the variable costs. It represents also the highest environmental impacts to global
warming. For this reason, our analysis will be focused on the heating demand of greenhouses.

Many studies [2] have analyzed and assessed in detail energy consumption of specific greenhouses, for a certain type
of crop and at a specific location. Several complex models, like Kaspro, have been used to calculate this output.
However, little research has been done to provide a general model for the heating demand of any type of greenhouse,
for any type of crop at any location in the world, based on a few known parameters. The aim of this study was to find
a simple model, but nonetheless fairly accurate, to predict heating demand of greenhouses and make a sensitivity
analysis of the different parameters influencing heating demand and a sensitivity analysis of the model for the 90%
confidence interval. One paper [1] about tomato production in greenhouses in Wageningen (NL) and collected data
from web-sources [7-13] were used to test the model. Eventually, this model can be used for Life Cycle Assessment
(LCA) studies to assess the energy consumption and the related environmental impacts for production in greenhouses,
when data are not provided elsewhere.

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 2. Model

The model derives from the norm SIA 380/1-Thermal Energy in Buildings and represents the energy balance between
the heat losses and heat gains. The equation underneath shows the heating demand of a building:

Q heating = (Q trans + Q air ) − α(Q solar + Q internal ) , [MJ] (1)

where Qtrans is the heat transmitted through the walls, Qair is the heat lost due to air exchange from the inside to the
outside of the building, Qsolar represents the heat gains from the solar irradiation and Qinternal is the energy gained from
internal sources, such as working people or machines. In our model, Qinternal was deemed to be too complex to assess
and, relative to the solar gains, rather insignificant and thus was set to zero. The parameter α is rather complex to
assess and is explained further in detail after equation (5). Qtrans, Qair and Qsolar are further defined as follows:

Q trans = ∑ k jA j (Tin − Tout ) , [W] (2)

where Aj represents the total cladding area (Atot) of the building, Tin and Tout are respectively the inside and outside
temperature and kj (also called the U-value) is the heat transfer coefficient though a composite element and is itself
defined as:

−1
1 d 1 
k j =  + ∑ i +  , [W/m2K] (3)
 αi λi α out 

where αi=8 W/(m2K) and αout=20 W/(m2K) are the surface heat transfer coefficients for windows, di is the thickness of
the wall and λi is the conductivity of the wall.

Q air = n V ( ρc p ) (Tin − Tout ) , [W] (4)

where n represents the air exchange number, i.e. the number of times the entire volume of air is replaced per hour in a
building, V is the volume of the building and ρcp=0.32 W/(m3 K) is the specific volumetric energy constant for air, i.e
how much energy is required to increase the temperature of a volume of air by 1 K.

Q solar = G A w (f g τ f s ) , [W] (5)

where G is the global solar irradiation in W/m2, Aw is the area of the windows exposed to the sun and was assumed to
be the ground area of the greenhouse in our model, fg is the glass fraction of the window, τ is the transmittivity of the
glass for visible radiation (≈0.9) and fs is the reduction by shading or impurities on the window (typically 0.6-0.8).

The solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) α is the part of solar irradiation that is directly transmitted through the window
or absorbed by the window and released inwards the building. Expressed in simpler terms, it’s the amount of useful
heat that passes through the windows. In the literature [11], it is defined as 0.87 multiplied by the shading factor fs.

As this model should represent a general case, it is useful to provide the fewest variable inputs and keep the model as
simple as possible. The only parameters to be known as inputs to the model are the dimensions of the greenhouse,
Aground, V, Atot, di, the optimal growth temperature of the crop Tin, the yield over the harvesting period Yharvest, the
average monthly temperature Tout and the average monthly solar irradiation G over the year. All other parameters in
this model are defined or have fixed values.

Q heating_to t = input f (Tout , Tin , G , Aground ,Vtot , Atot , d i , λi , n, t harvest , Yharvest ) , [MJ/kg] (6)

The value of all parameters used in our model can be found in table (2) in the appendix.

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 3. Methods

From the model presented above, the total heating demand for the whole crop period (from tplant to tharvest) could be
calculated, and respectively, the heating demand per square meter and the heating demand per kilogram, by means of
the following equations:

t harvest
Q heating_tot = ∑Q
t =t plant
heating [MJ] (7)

Q heating_to t
Energy input/grou nd area = [MJ/m 2 ] (8)
A ground

Q heating_tot
Energy input/production = [MJ/kg] (9)
Yharvest

where Qheating is the monthly heating demand of the greenhouse. The data from the paper were not always complete
and thus, in some cases, indirect assumptions had to be made. The crop period lasted 11 months (harvesting time on
the 20th November) and the gas consumption amounted 45.3 m3/(m2 year) which is equivalent to 1753 MJ/(m2 year)1.
The quarter values of gas consumption are also given and is equal to 18.5 m3/(m2 year), 9.4 m3/(m2 year), 6.4 m3/(m2
year) and 11 m3/(m2 year). By means of an interpolation, the total heating demand for the crop period could be
assessed. The ground area represents 40’500 m2 and the yield amounts 2’385’450 kg. The wall thickness of the glass
was not explicitly given and is necessary to calculate the U-value of the walls. For this parameter, the paper only
mentions that the greenhouse is made of single-glass facades. Although this parameter can vary a lot, most of the
literature [12] attribute to single-glass windows a U-value of 5 W/(m2 K). The temperature requirements differ along
the crop period. From December to January, the day/night temperatures should be 19/19°C, till end of March
19/16.5°C and for the rest of the crop period the crop can support day/night temperatures of 18/17°C. For simplicity
reasons, the optimal growth temperature was set to an aggregated average temperature over the whole crop period of
17.7°C. The average monthly temperatures and solar irradiation at any location in Europe could be found on [7].
Average monthly temperatures over the day and solar irradiation at optimal angle were used for the calculations.
According to our model, the heating demand was set to zero as soon as negative values appeared in the results. The air
exchange number n is usually rather small and for simplicity reasons was set to zero unless it was provided. If there is
a ventilation system, n was set to 1.

4. Software Tools

The model was implemented in Excel with the equations mentioned above. The same model was transcribed as a
program in Matlab. The Matlab code asks for the necessary input variables (see appendix) and delivers six graphs
shown in the results: the temperature profile over the year, the solar radiation profile over the year, the instantaneous
heating demand along the year in MJ and MJ/m2 and the total heating demand for the crop period in MJ/m2 and
MJ/kg.

1 3
Energy content of natural gas = 38.7 MJ/m [13]

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 5. Results

The results are shown in the graphs below:

Figure 1: Upper left graph: average monthly temperature profile over the year in [°C]. Upper right graph: average monthly solar
irradiation profile over the year in [W/m2]. Middle left graph: instantaneous heating demand of the greenhouse during the year in [MJ].
Middle right graph: instantaneous heating demand of the greenhouse during the year in [MJ/m2]. Lower left graph: total heating
demand for the crop period of 11 months at harvesting time in [MJ/m2]. Lower right graph: total heating demand for the crop period of
11 months at harvesting time in [MJ/kg].

The average monthly temperatures are represented on the upper left graph and are typical for northern European
countries. January has the lowest average temperatures of 3.1°C and August has the highest temperatures of 18.6°C in
the average. The average solar irradiation on the upper right graph has a similar shape with values varying from 30
W/m2 in the winter to 200 W/m2 in the summer. Consequently the heating demand during the year is higher in the
winter than in the summer (middle graphs). From May to September, average monthly temperatures and solar
irradiation are high enough to allow the greenhouse not to heat. The two lower graphs show the total heating demand
at harvesting time for a crop period of 11 months. Harvesting in the summer has a higher total demand as the crop has
to grow through the whole winter. On the other hand, the harvesting in November has less impact on the heating
demand as it avoids heating the greenhouse during the month of December. The total energy demand at the harvesting
time (November) shown in the two lower graphs is equal to 1900 MJ/m2 and 32 MJ/kg. In the next graph, the results
are compared with the empirical data from the paper.

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 Total heating demand for tomato production in Wagneningen at harvesting time in [MJ/kg]
Model vs. Empirical values
50

45

40
Total Heating Demand [MJ/kg]

35

30

25

20

Model values Tin=17.7°C

15
Empirical values
Cumulative Quarter Values
10
Linear Fit

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Figure 2: Red curve: results from the model. Blue curve: Empirical results (interpolated from the quarter values for a total crop period
of 11 months). Purple boxes: cumulative quarter values of gas consumption in the greenhouse over the year. Black line: linear trend
curve fits the cumulative quarter values.

The model fairly overestimated the heating consumption of the greenhouse for tomato production. From the paper, the
cumulative heating demand at harvesting point in November lies at around 27 MJ/kg. The average heating demand for
the whole year is for the model at around 35 MJ/kg and for the empirical values at 27 MJ/kg. The quarter values
represent the cumulative heating demand over the year per kilogram output. It presents a fairly linear curve. After 11
months, it crosses the empirical data. In the next section, uncertainties of each input parameter of the model will be
discussed in order to have a qualitative appreciation of the relevance of the parameters to the output result.

6. Discussion

Parameter uncertainties

- Temperature Tout is one of the most determinant factors in the model. Precise data are necessary for the
accuracy of the results, since small variations in temperature can lead to important changes in the output. In
our model, only average monthly data were taken. Monthly values are easier to find and to handle. However,
this simplification can lead to uncertainties. Average data can hide periods of cold and warm to a single value,
thus giving the impression, that a constant heating value is required, whereas in reality, during a cold period,
an excessive heating is required and during a warm period, no heating at all is needed. By taking average
monthly values, the heating demand is fairly underestimated. Average data over long periods can also hide
trends in temperature evolution. The data were found in [7] and are also subject to uncertainties as the data are
interpolated from fixed meteorological stations in Europe.

- Solar irradiation G is another decisive input to the model. It is the only energy input source to the greenhouse
and will determine significantly if the greenhouse needs additional heating supply or not. From the data [7],
average monthly irradiation at the optimal angle for the location were taken, which represents an ideal case. In
reality, these values could be slightly overestimated, but according to [8], our values lie in the same range.
Local variations in topography can also reduce the amount of heat gains significantly. As the data are

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 interpolated as well, local settings are not taken into account and eventually, this can reduce the amount of
solar energy entering into the greenhouse.

- The temperature required by the crop to grow optimally Tin is precisely specified for each type of crop. In our
model, Tin is assumed to be homogeneous in the entire greenhouse so that the full volume must have this
temperature. In reality, the temperature inside is not homogeneous and the spots where plant grow might be
warmer than in the rest of the greenhouse. Consequently not the entire volume of the greenhouse need to be
heated up to the Tin required. Tin might thus be slightly overestimated and present the worst case scenario. Tin
is also assumed to be constant over the whole year and no differentiation was made between day and night.
Again, this can lead to slightly biased results.

- The parameters describing the dimensions of the greenhouse, such as the ground area Aground, the total cladding
area Atot, the total volume Vtot and the thickness of the walls di are normally given and thus do not present any
major uncertainties to the model. However, it is important to note that they have a significant impact on the
results if they have to be estimated. The thickness of the wall is determinant for the heat losses through the
walls. A small variation in this input will lead to a dramatic change in heating demand. The total volume is not
a relevant parameter when the air exchange number of the greenhouse is small. More important is the ratio
Aground/Atot, which should be close to one. The smaller the cladding area, the smaller will be the heat loss
through the walls and the higher the ground area, the higher will be the solar gains to the greenhouse. This
will lead to a more efficient use of energy and crop production in the greenhouse.

- The surface heat transfer coefficients αin and αout and the conductivity λi of the walls are physical properties
that affect heat losses through the housing of the greenhouse. All three parameters are dependent on the
material. Αin and αout are also affected by the weather conditions. When the greenhouse is exposed to wind,
αout can increase due to higher convection and lead to a higher heating demand. The same occurs for αin for
higher ventilation inside the greenhouse. αin and αout are very difficult to find in literature and are slightly
different for other materials and thus need to be assessed with great care and adjusted for each case. The
conductivity λi can vary a lot for materials. Even for the same type of material, such as glass, the range can be
very broad. In our model, a value of 0.9 W/m K was taken and is a typical value for glass.

- The air exchange number n is responsible for the air losses in the greenhouse. The paper does not provide any
value for this parameter and carries a certain uncertainty in our model. Usually, it is less than 1 per hour for a
typical building and has thus not a significant impact on the heat losses. Setting the air exchange number to 1
in our model leads to an increase in only 4 MJ/kg heating demand and thus is not the most relevant parameter
even though it is uncertain. A value of 0 seems thus reasonable when no further details are given in the paper.

- The constant for air ρ cp can be assumed to be constant. It is composed of the density of air and the specific
heat constant at constant pressure. At higher altitudes, the density of air ρ is lower and the constant needs to be
adjusted. However this parameter varies only sparsely and has little impact on the overall results and can be
seen as a constant.

- The glass fraction of the window fg, the transmittivity τ, and the reduction factor fs all affect the solar gains.
The fraction of window for a greenhouse is nearly 1. The frame and edges are the only opaque elements that
prevent light to pass through the greenhouse and represent usually no more than 5 % of the greenhouse [9].
The transmittivity of glass is for visible radiation around 0.9 and does not differ so much between
greenhouses. The reduction by shading or impurities on the window is very much dependent on the terrain
(shading) but also the maintenance of the windows such as cleaning (impurities). For well-cleaned windows,
fs has a value around 0.8 whereas for dirty windows, fs has rather a value around 0.6. The mean value of 0.7
was deemed suitable for the model even though this parameter is very uncertain. This parameter will also
affect the solar heat gain coefficient and is thus very crucial.

- The solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) α is one of the difficult parameter to assess and is based on empirical
values. As it is equal to 0.87*the shading factor fs and we know that the latter one is fairly uncertain, the
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 SHGC will also create an uncertainty to the model. As we will see later on in the sensitivity analysis, a change
in alpha does not change tremendously the output.

Model uncertainties

- Greenhouses are specific types of buildings, as they consist almost entirely of transparent walls with low
insulation. The general energy equation in SIA 380/1 still holds, but a few parameters might lack enough
accuracy and lead to biased results. Certain inputs like solar irradiation G could be underestimated due to
increased reflections at the windows and must be corrected. All parameters are also variable in space and need
further assessment for each particular case. A sensitivity analysis of all parameters is thus necessary to
identify the weak-points of the model and draw the attention on the parameter, which have most impacts on
the results if not clearly known.

Parameter Sensitivity Analysis:

The table below shows the change in output resulting from a ± 10% change of all input parameters. One parameter is
being changed while all other parameters keep fixed values. If the output is more than ± 10%, this parameter is
assumed to be sensitive and needs further inspection and assessment.

Table 1: Sensitivity analysis results for all parameters of the model. Bolded numbers represent the highest impacts from a change in
parameters.

Change in the average Change in the average

final output resulting from final output resulting from
a -10% change of the input a +10% change of the input
Parameters Symbol parameter [%] parameter [%]
Ground area greenhouse Aground 2.72 -2.27
Volume greenhouse Vtot -0.11 0.11
Area of greenhouse glass Atot -12.27 12.68
Temperature desired inside Tin -18.85 23.25
Surface heat transfer coefficients αi -7.97 7.50
Surface heat transfer coefficients αout -3.32 2.85
Conductivity of window λi -1.68 1.41
Thickness of window di 1.55 -1.52
Heat transfer through a
composite element (U-value) kj -12.27 12.68
Heat exchange number n -0.11 0.11
Specific volumetric energy constant for air ρ cp -0.11 0.11
Glass fraction of the window fg 3.02 -2.38
Transmissivity of the glass τ 2.72 -2.27
Reduction factor fs 5.83 -4.78
Fractional use of heat gains α 2.72 -2.27
Crop yield Yharvest 11.11 -9.09
Temperature outside Tout 9.74 -6.57
Solar irradiation G 2.72 -2.27

From the table above, one can observe that most of the parameters have little influence on the output result. The only
parameters the exceed 10% change in the output are the cladding area Atot, the inside temperature Tin, the U-value kj
and the crop yield Yharvest. The cladding area and crop yield were given in the paper and thus do not present
uncertainties. The temperature inside is an aggregated average and presents uncertainties. The U-values is also highly
uncertain, as it is not explicitly given in the paper. Therefore, these two parameters need further assessment.

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 Total heating demand for different optimal growth temperatures in [MJ/kg]

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Total Heating Demand [MJ/kg]

35

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25

20 Model values Tin=19°C

Model values Tin=18°C

15
Model values Tin=17°C
10
Model values Tin=16°C

5 Empirical values

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Figure 3: Model values at different growth temperatures compared with the empirical values.

The graph above shows the impact of a change in temperature required in the greenhouse. The heating demand for
crop, whose optimal growth temperature lies between 16°C and 19°C over the whole year, is significantly increased.
The graph shows that the model would better match with the empirical data for optimal crop growth temperatures
between 16°C and 17°C. The graph shows the impact of the temperatures required by the crop on the results. Going
from 16°C to 19°C nearly doubles the heating required to growth the crop. Tropical fruits are very appreciated on the
market nowadays. If, in the same greenhouse, a production of papaya was set for example, which requires
temperatures between 22°C and 26°C, the heating demand would rise up to ~70 MJ/kg. Besides providing information
on the heating demand, the model is also very didactic and allows playing with the parameters and getting some
feeling about the response of the output.

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 Total heating demand for different U-values of the greenhouse in [MJ/kg]

140
Model U-value poor-insulating glass = 8 W/m2 K

120 Model U-value single-glass = 5 W/m2 K

Model U-value (Lexan® ZigZag™) = 3.4 W/m2 K

Total Heating Demand [MJ/kg]

100
Model U-values Swiss norm = 2.4 W/m2 K

Empirical values
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Figure 4: Model values for different U-values compared with the empirical values.

The graph above shows the heating demand for different U-values of the greenhouses. The upper line represents the
heating demand for a greenhouse with poor insulating glass. The line under the empirical data is the heating demand
for the greenhouse when using a new high-tech material called Lexan® ZigZag™, which has a good insulating
property as well as a high light transmittivity. In this case the curve lies under the empirical data and thus presents a
good material for the housing of the greenhouse. More astonishing about the results is the fact that according to Swiss
norms, the mean U-value of an entire greenhouse should not exceed 2.4 W/m2 K [4]. It seems thus improbable that the
greenhouse in Wageningen has an overall U-value of 5 W/m2 K even though it is made of single-glass.

Model Sensitivity Analysis

In order to validate our model, it is important to give a 90% confidence interval to the results. The crop yield Yharvest,
the external temperatures Tout and the solar irradiation G were assessed according to their fluctuations over the years.
Different crop yields for tomato production in greenhouses in the Netherlands could be found in [9]. The fluctuation is
relatively small amounts no more than ± 3% for the 0.05/0.95 percentile values. Daily data for the temperatures and
solar irradiation in the Netherlands were provided for a long period by [8]. The average monthly temperatures and
solar irradiation were taken for the years 2000 to 2009 and compared between the years. The relative deviation of
average monthly temperatures over the years is important and varies between ± 100%. The solar irradiation is
relatively stable in comparison with the temperatures, with relative fluctuations going from -30% to +40%. The model
was run again for the worst case and best case scenario. The results are shown in the graph below.

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 90% confidence interval of the model

80

Model values Tin=17.7°C

70
Empirical values
Model 0.95 Percentile
60 Model 0.05 Percentile
Total Heating Demand [MJ/kg]

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Figure 5: Red straight line: results from the model. Red dashed lines: 0.05 and 0.95 percentiles for the model. Blue line: empirical
values.

The graph shows that the natural variability of yield, temperatures and solar irradiation throughout the years creates a
broad range of results. For a year with low temperatures and low solar irradiation, heating demand will be in the order
of 50 MJ/kg (0.95 percentile) whereas for a good year, heating demand can go down to around 20 MJ/kg (0.05
percentile). This means that 90% of all the time, the data of our model will lie in this range. The empirical data lie
completely within the 90% confidence interval. This is a very important statement that provides range for the validity
of the model due to natural fluctuations of the parameters. The model can thus be assumed to be valid for our
greenhouse in Wageningen.

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 7. Conclusion

The results are very promising as the empirical results lie in the confidence interval of the model. The model is able to
provide, with a relative limited number of parameters, consistent results in the same range of the measured values.
However, the results are based on one case study from one paper. One paper is not enough to make a general case. As
a consequence, the spatial validity of this model for the whole world needs to be considered with great care. Further
work would be demanded to validate the model with real data at many locations in the world. Further results should be
found for different types of greenhouses with different materials to see how much they differ from the greenhouse
used in our model. From the results and further knowledge about greenhouses, all parameters could then be further
assessed and adjusted to obtain accurate results and improve the model. The challenge remains always: what can be
done to improve the model, without losing its simplicity?

This model serves as a tool for farmers to roughly assess the heating demand of a greenhouse for growing a certain
type of crop. It can also be used as a tool to assess the energy consumption and the related environmental impacts in
greenhouse production for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies, when data are not provided elsewhere.

8. Acknowledgments

This project was supported by the Energy Science Master Program at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in
Zürich. The necessary assistance was provided by Prof. Dr. Stefanie Hellweg from the Department of Environmental
Engineering and Dr. Ronnie Juraske and Franziska Stössel from the same department. I would like to thank them all
specially for their help along the project.

9. Bibliography

[1] A.Elings, F.L.K. Kempkes, R.C. Kaarsemaker, M.N.A. Ruijs, N.J van de Braak and T.A. Dueck, The Energy
Balance and Energy-Saving Measures in Greenhouse Tomato Cultivation, Plant Research International, P.O. Box 16,
6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands, 2005.

[2] A. Wokaun, Renewable Energy Technologies II, Chapter 3, Seasonal Energy Storage, Spring Semester 2009, Paul
Scherrer Institut 5232 Villigen PSI, 2009

[3] J.C. Bakker, Model Application for Energy Efficient Greenhouses in the Netherlands: Greenhouse Design,
Operational Control and Decision Support Systems, Plant Research International, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA
Wageningen, The Netherlands, 2006.

[4] Konferenz Kantonaler Energiefachstellen, Beheizte Gewächshäuser, Empfehlung Nr.5, Ausgabe 2003

[5] M. Djevic, A. Dimitrijevic, Energy Consumption for different greenhouse constructions, Department for
Agricultural Engineering, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture, Nemanjina 6, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia, 2009.

[6] S. A. Hatirli, B. Ozkan, C. Fert, Energy inputs and crop yield relationship in greenhouse tomato production,
University of Suleyman Demirel, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, 32260, Isparta,
Turkey, University of Akdeniz Demirel, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, 07070,
Antalya, Turkey 2005.

Web-sources:

[7] European Solar Irradiation Data Utility

http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvgis/apps/radmonth.php?en=&europe=

[8] Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute

www.knmi.nl

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[9] Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)

www.faostat.fao.org

[10] Thermal conductivity of materials

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html

[11] Understand Window Energy Ratings: U-Value, Lo-E, & SHGC

http://hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Understand-Window-Energy-Ratings

[12] U-values of single-glass

http://www.oakconservatories.co.uk/conservatory_advice/glass-u-values.htm

[13] Natural gas data

http://www.natural-gas.com.au/about/references.html

13
 10. Appendix

Table 2: Input parameters to the model.

Parameters Symbol Units Value

2
Ground area greenhouse Aground [m ] 40500
3
Volume greenhouse Vtot [m ] 162000
2
Area of greenhouse glass Atot [m ] 112536
Temperature desired inside Tin [°C] 17.7
2
Surface heat transfer coefficients αi [W/m K] 8
2
Surface heat transfer coefficients αout [W/m K] 20
Conductivity of window λi [W/m K] 0.9
Thickness of window di [m] 0.0225
2
Heat transfer through a composite element kj [W/m K] 5.000
Heat exchange number n [1/h] 0
3
Specific volumetric energy constant for air ρ cp [Wh/m K] 0.32
Glass fraction of the window fg [-] 0.99
Transmittivity of the glass τ [-] 0.9
Reduction factor fs [-] 0.7
Fractional use of heat gains α [-] 0.609
Crop yield Yharvest [kg/harvest] 2385450

Table 3: Average monthly temperatures and solar irradiation over the year in Wageningen.

2
Average Daily Temperature [°C ] Solar Irradiation at optimal angle [W/m ]
January 3.1 40
February 4.5 90
March 6.5 111
April 9.7 173
May 13.7 203
June 16.4 189
July 18.5 199
August 18.6 183
September 15.7 138
October 11.8 96
November 7.1 47
December 3.6 31

Matlab code for the model:

alpha_in=8; %heat transfer coefficient inside

alpha_out=20; %heat transfer coefficient outside
fract_use_heat=0.609; %fractional use of heat gains
tau=0.9; %transmittivity of glass (assumed to be constant)
fs=0.7; %reduction by shading impurities on the window.
Q_internal=0; %W/m^2
glass_fraction_greenhouse=0.99; % in per cent

disp('In order to know the consumption of your greenhouse, please answer the following questions: (press
enter after each fullfilled answer)')

disp(' ')

ground_area_greenhouse=input('What is the ground area of your greenhouse [m^2]? ');

disp(' ')

volume_greenhouse=input('What is the volume of your greenhouse [m^3]? ');

disp(' ')

total_area_greenhouse=input('What is the total cladding area of your greenhouse [m^2]? ');

14
 disp(' ')

thickness_wall=input('What is the thickness of the walls of your greenhouse [m]? ');

disp(' ')

disp('For the next question, check on http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html

')

disp(' ')

lambda_wall=input('What is the material conductivity of the housing of your greenhouse [W/m K]? ');

disp(' ')

ventilation=input('Do you have a ventilation system in your greenhouse [y or n]? ','s');

disp(' ')

if ventilation=='y'
n=1; %number of time the air is changed in the room [per hour]
elseif ventilation=='n'
n=0;
else disp('You have to answer this question by "y" or "n"')
end

temp_in=input('What is the optimal growth temperature of your crop [°C]? ');

disp(' ')

crop_time=input('How long is the crop time period [months]? ');

disp(' ')

crop_yield=input('How much crop yield do you achieve over the whole harvesting period [kg]? ');

disp(' ')

disp('For the following questions, check the data available for your region. Ex:
http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvgis/apps/radmonth.php?en=&europe= ')

disp(' ')

temperature_jan=input('What is the average temperature in January in your region [°C]? ');

temperature_feb=input('What is the average temperature in February in your region [°C]? ');
temperature_mar=input('What is the average temperature in March in your region [°C]? ');
temperature_apr=input('What is the average temperature in April in your region [°C]? ');
temperature_may=input('What is the average temperature in May in your region [°C]? ');
temperature_jun=input('What is the average temperature in June in your region [°C]? ');
temperature_jul=input('What is the average temperature in July in your region [°C]? ');
temperature_aug=input('What is the average temperature in August in your region [°C]? ');
temperature_sep=input('What is the average temperature in September in your region [°C]? ');
temperature_oct=input('What is the average temperature in October in your region [°C]? ');
temperature_nov=input('What is the average temperature in November in your region [°C]? ');
temperature_dec=input('What is the average temperature in December in your region [°C]? ');

disp(' ')

T=[temperature_jan temperature_feb temperature_mar temperature_apr temperature_may temperature_jun

temperature_jul temperature_aug temperature_sep temperature_oct temperature_nov temperature_dec];

solarrad_jan=input('What is the average solar radiation in January in your region [W/m2]? ');
solarrad_feb=input('What is the average solar radiation in February in your region [W/m2]? ');
solarrad_mar=input('What is the average solar radiation in March in your region [W/m2]? ');
solarrad_apr=input('What is the average solar radiation in April in your region [W/m2]? ');
solarrad_may=input('What is the average solar radiation in May in your region [W/m2]? ');
solarrad_jun=input('What is the average solar radiation in June in your region [W/m2]? ');
solarrad_jul=input('What is the average solar radiation in July in your region [W/m2]? ');
solarrad_aug=input('What is the average solar radiation in August in your region [W/m2]? ');
solarrad_sep=input('What is the average solar radiation in September in your region [W/m2]? ');
solarrad_oct=input('What is the average solar radiation in October in your region [W/m2]? ');
solarrad_nov=input('What is the average solar radiation in November in your region [W/m2]? ');
solarrad_dec=input('What is the average solar radiation in December in your region [W/m2]? ');

disp(' ')

S=[solarrad_jan solarrad_feb solarrad_mar solarrad_apr solarrad_may solarrad_jun solarrad_jul solarrad_aug

solarrad_sep solarrad_oct solarrad_nov solarrad_dec];

Q_trans_jan=((1/alpha_in+(thickness_wall/lambda_wall)+1/alpha_out)^-1)*total_area_greenhouse*(temp_in-
temperature_jan); %in Watts
15
 if Q_trans_jan>=0;
Q_trans_jan=Q_trans_jan;
else Q_trans_jan=0;
end
Q_trans_feb=((1/alpha_in+(thickness_wall/lambda_wall)+1/alpha_out)^-1)*total_area_greenhouse*(temp_in-
temperature_feb);
if Q_trans_feb>=0;
Q_trans_feb=Q_trans_feb;
else Q_trans_feb=0;
end
Q_trans_mar=((1/alpha_in+(thickness_wall/lambda_wall)+1/alpha_out)^-1)*total_area_greenhouse*(temp_in-
temperature_mar);
if Q_trans_mar>=0;
Q_trans_mar=Q_trans_mar;
else Q_trans_mar=0;
end
Q_trans_apr=((1/alpha_in+(thickness_wall/lambda_wall)+1/alpha_out)^-1)*total_area_greenhouse*(temp_in-
temperature_apr);
if Q_trans_apr>=0;
Q_trans_apr=Q_trans_apr;
else Q_trans_apr=0;
end
Q_trans_may=((1/alpha_in+(thickness_wall/lambda_wall)+1/alpha_out)^-1)*total_area_greenhouse*(temp_in-
temperature_may);
if Q_trans_may>=0;
Q_trans_may=Q_trans_may;
else Q_trans_may=0;
end
Q_trans_jun=((1/alpha_in+(thickness_wall/lambda_wall)+1/alpha_out)^-1)*total_area_greenhouse*(temp_in-
temperature_jun);
if Q_trans_jun>=0;
Q_trans_jun=Q_trans_jun;
else Q_trans_jun=0;
end
Q_trans_jul=((1/alpha_in+(thickness_wall/lambda_wall)+1/alpha_out)^-1)*total_area_greenhouse*(temp_in-
temperature_jul);
if Q_trans_jul>=0;
Q_trans_jul=Q_trans_jul;
else Q_trans_jul=0;
end
Q_trans_aug=((1/alpha_in+(thickness_wall/lambda_wall)+1/alpha_out)^-1)*total_area_greenhouse*(temp_in-
temperature_aug);
if Q_trans_aug>=0;
Q_trans_aug=Q_trans_aug;
else Q_trans_aug=0;
end
Q_trans_sep=((1/alpha_in+(thickness_wall/lambda_wall)+1/alpha_out)^-1)*total_area_greenhouse*(temp_in-
temperature_sep);
if Q_trans_sep>=0;
Q_trans_sep=Q_trans_sep;
else Q_trans_sep=0;
end
Q_trans_oct=((1/alpha_in+(thickness_wall/lambda_wall)+1/alpha_out)^-1)*total_area_greenhouse*(temp_in-
temperature_oct);
if Q_trans_oct>=0;
Q_trans_oct=Q_trans_oct;
else Q_trans_oct=0;
end
Q_trans_nov=((1/alpha_in+(thickness_wall/lambda_wall)+1/alpha_out)^-1)*total_area_greenhouse*(temp_in-
temperature_nov);
if Q_trans_nov>=0;
Q_trans_nov=Q_trans_nov;
else Q_trans_nov=0;
end
Q_trans_dec=((1/alpha_in+(thickness_wall/lambda_wall)+1/alpha_out)^-1)*total_area_greenhouse*(temp_in-
temperature_dec);
if Q_trans_dec>=0;
Q_trans_dec=Q_trans_dec;
else Q_trans_dec=0;
end

Q_trans_tot=Q_trans_jan+Q_trans_feb+Q_trans_mar+Q_trans_apr+Q_trans_may+Q_trans_jun+Q_trans_jul+Q_trans_aug+Q
_trans_sep+Q_trans_oct+Q_trans_nov+Q_trans_dec

Q_air_jan=n*volume_greenhouse*0.32*(temp_in-temperature_jan); %in Watts

if Q_air_jan>=0;
Q_air_jan=Q_air_jan;
else Q_air_jan=0;
end
Q_air_feb=n*volume_greenhouse*0.32*(temp_in-temperature_feb);
if Q_air_feb>=0;
Q_air_feb=Q_air_feb;
16
 else Q_air_feb=0;
end
Q_air_mar=n*volume_greenhouse*0.32*(temp_in-temperature_mar);
if Q_air_mar>=0;
Q_air_mar=Q_air_mar;
else Q_air_mar=0;
end
Q_air_apr=n*volume_greenhouse*0.32*(temp_in-temperature_apr);
if Q_air_apr>=0;
Q_air_apr=Q_air_apr;
else Q_air_apr=0;
end
Q_air_may=n*volume_greenhouse*0.32*(temp_in-temperature_may);
if Q_air_may>=0;
Q_air_may=Q_air_may;
else Q_air_may=0;
end
Q_air_jun=n*volume_greenhouse*0.32*(temp_in-temperature_jun);
if Q_air_jun>=0;
Q_air_jun=Q_air_jun;
else Q_air_jun=0;
end
Q_air_jul=n*volume_greenhouse*0.32*(temp_in-temperature_jul);
if Q_air_jul>=0;
Q_air_jul=Q_air_jul;
else Q_air_jul=0;
end
Q_air_aug=n*volume_greenhouse*0.32*(temp_in-temperature_aug);
if Q_air_aug>=0;
Q_air_aug=Q_air_aug;
else Q_air_aug=0;
end
Q_air_sep=n*volume_greenhouse*0.32*(temp_in-temperature_sep);
if Q_air_sep>=0;
Q_air_sep=Q_air_sep;
else Q_air_sep=0;
end
Q_air_oct=n*volume_greenhouse*0.32*(temp_in-temperature_oct);
if Q_air_oct>=0;
Q_air_oct=Q_air_oct;
else Q_air_oct=0;
end
Q_air_nov=n*volume_greenhouse*0.32*(temp_in-temperature_nov);
if Q_air_nov>=0;
Q_air_nov=Q_air_nov;
else Q_air_nov=0;
end
Q_air_dec=n*volume_greenhouse*0.32*(temp_in-temperature_dec);
if Q_air_dec>=0;
Q_air_dec=Q_air_dec;
else Q_air_dec=0;
end

Q_air_tot=Q_air_jan+Q_air_feb+Q_air_mar+Q_air_apr+Q_air_may+Q_air_jun+Q_air_jul+Q_air_aug+Q_air_sep+Q_air_oct
+Q_air_nov+Q_air_dec

Q_solar_jan=solarrad_jan*ground_area_greenhouse*(glass_fraction_greenhouse*tau*fs); %in Watts

Q_solar_feb=solarrad_feb*ground_area_greenhouse*(glass_fraction_greenhouse*tau*fs);
Q_solar_mar=solarrad_mar*ground_area_greenhouse*(glass_fraction_greenhouse*tau*fs);
Q_solar_apr=solarrad_apr*ground_area_greenhouse*(glass_fraction_greenhouse*tau*fs);
Q_solar_may=solarrad_may*ground_area_greenhouse*(glass_fraction_greenhouse*tau*fs);
Q_solar_jun=solarrad_jun*ground_area_greenhouse*(glass_fraction_greenhouse*tau*fs);
Q_solar_jul=solarrad_jul*ground_area_greenhouse*(glass_fraction_greenhouse*tau*fs);
Q_solar_aug=solarrad_aug*ground_area_greenhouse*(glass_fraction_greenhouse*tau*fs);
Q_solar_sep=solarrad_sep*ground_area_greenhouse*(glass_fraction_greenhouse*tau*fs);
Q_solar_oct=solarrad_oct*ground_area_greenhouse*(glass_fraction_greenhouse*tau*fs);
Q_solar_nov=solarrad_nov*ground_area_greenhouse*(glass_fraction_greenhouse*tau*fs);
Q_solar_dec=solarrad_dec*ground_area_greenhouse*(glass_fraction_greenhouse*tau*fs);

Q_solar_tot=Q_solar_jan+Q_solar_feb+Q_solar_mar+Q_solar_apr+Q_solar_may+Q_solar_jun+Q_solar_jul+Q_solar_aug+Q
_solar_sep+Q_solar_oct+Q_solar_nov+Q_solar_dec

Q_heating_jan=Q_trans_jan+Q_air_jan-fract_use_heat*(Q_solar_jan+Q_internal*ground_area_greenhouse);
if Q_heating_jan>=0;
Q_heating_jan=Q_heating_jan;
else Q_heating_jan=0;
end
Q_heating_feb=Q_trans_feb+Q_air_feb-fract_use_heat*(Q_solar_feb+Q_internal*ground_area_greenhouse);
if Q_heating_feb>=0;
Q_heating_feb=Q_heating_feb;
else Q_heating_feb=0;
end
17
 Q_heating_mar=Q_trans_mar+Q_air_mar-fract_use_heat*(Q_solar_mar+Q_internal*ground_area_greenhouse);
if Q_heating_mar>=0;
Q_heating_mar=Q_heating_mar;
else Q_heating_mar=0;
end
Q_heating_apr=Q_trans_apr+Q_air_apr-fract_use_heat*(Q_solar_apr+Q_internal*ground_area_greenhouse);
if Q_heating_apr>=0;
Q_heating_apr=Q_heating_apr;
else Q_heating_apr=0;
end
Q_heating_may=Q_trans_may+Q_air_may-fract_use_heat*(Q_solar_may+Q_internal*ground_area_greenhouse);
if Q_heating_may>=0;
Q_heating_may=Q_heating_may;
else Q_heating_may=0;
end
Q_heating_jun=Q_trans_jun+Q_air_jun-fract_use_heat*(Q_solar_jun+Q_internal*ground_area_greenhouse);
if Q_heating_jun>=0;
Q_heating_jun=Q_heating_jun;
else Q_heating_jun=0;
end
Q_heating_jul=Q_trans_jul+Q_air_jul-fract_use_heat*(Q_solar_jul+Q_internal*ground_area_greenhouse);
if Q_heating_jul>=0;
Q_heating_jul=Q_heating_jul;
else Q_heating_jul=0;
end
Q_heating_aug=Q_trans_aug+Q_air_aug-fract_use_heat*(Q_solar_aug+Q_internal*ground_area_greenhouse);
if Q_heating_aug>=0;
Q_heating_aug=Q_heating_aug;
else Q_heating_aug=0;
end
Q_heating_sep=Q_trans_sep+Q_air_sep-fract_use_heat*(Q_solar_sep+Q_internal*ground_area_greenhouse);
if Q_heating_sep>=0;
Q_heating_sep=Q_heating_sep;
else Q_heating_sep=0;
end
Q_heating_oct=Q_trans_oct+Q_air_oct-fract_use_heat*(Q_solar_oct+Q_internal*ground_area_greenhouse);
if Q_heating_oct>=0;
Q_heating_oct=Q_heating_oct;
else Q_heating_oct=0;
end
Q_heating_nov=Q_trans_nov+Q_air_nov-fract_use_heat*(Q_solar_nov+Q_internal*ground_area_greenhouse);
if Q_heating_nov>=0;
Q_heating_nov=Q_heating_nov;
else Q_heating_nov=0;
end
Q_heating_dec=Q_trans_dec+Q_air_dec-fract_use_heat*(Q_solar_dec+Q_internal*ground_area_greenhouse);
if Q_heating_dec>=0;
Q_heating_dec=Q_heating_dec;
else Q_heating_dec=0;
end

Q_heating_tot=Q_heating_jan+Q_heating_feb+Q_heating_mar+Q_heating_apr+Q_heating_may+Q_heating_jun+Q_heating_j
ul+Q_heating_aug+Q_heating_sep+Q_heating_oct+Q_heating_nov+Q_heating_dec

A=[Q_heating_jan*(3600*24*31)/(1000000) Q_heating_feb*(3600*24*28)/(1000000)
Q_heating_mar*(3600*24*31)/(1000000) Q_heating_apr*(3600*24*30)/(1000000)
Q_heating_may*(3600*24*31)/(1000000) Q_heating_jun*(3600*24*30)/(1000000)
Q_heating_jul*(3600*24*31)/(1000000) Q_heating_aug*(3600*24*31)/(1000000)
Q_heating_sep*(3600*24*30)/(1000000) Q_heating_oct*(3600*24*31)/(1000000)
Q_heating_nov*(3600*24*30)/(1000000) Q_heating_dec*(3600*24*31)/(1000000)];

if crop_time==1

Q_harvesting_jan=A(1,12);
Q_harvesting_feb=A(1,1);
Q_harvesting_mar=A(1,2);
Q_harvesting_apr=A(1,3);
Q_harvesting_may=A(1,4);
Q_harvesting_jun=A(1,5);
Q_harvesting_jul=A(1,6);
Q_harvesting_aug=A(1,7);
Q_harvesting_sep=A(1,8);
Q_harvesting_oct=A(1,9);
Q_harvesting_nov=A(1,10);
Q_harvesting_dec=A(1,11);

elseif crop_time==2

Q_harvesting_jan=sum(A(11:12));
Q_harvesting_feb=A(1,12)+A(1,1);
Q_harvesting_mar=sum(A(1:2));
Q_harvesting_apr=sum(A(2:3));
18
 Q_harvesting_may=sum(A(3:4));
Q_harvesting_jun=sum(A(4:5));
Q_harvesting_jul=sum(A(5:6));
Q_harvesting_aug=sum(A(6:7));
Q_harvesting_sep=sum(A(7:8));
Q_harvesting_oct=sum(A(8:9));
Q_harvesting_nov=sum(A(9:10));
Q_harvesting_dec=sum(A(10:11));

elseif crop_time==3

Q_harvesting_jan=sum(A(10:12));
Q_harvesting_feb=A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1);
Q_harvesting_mar=A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2);
Q_harvesting_apr=sum(A(1:3));
Q_harvesting_may=sum(A(2:4));
Q_harvesting_jun=sum(A(3:5));
Q_harvesting_jul=sum(A(4:6));
Q_harvesting_aug=sum(A(5:7));
Q_harvesting_sep=sum(A(6:8));
Q_harvesting_oct=sum(A(7:9));
Q_harvesting_nov=sum(A(8:10));
Q_harvesting_dec=sum(A(9:11));

elseif crop_time==4

Q_harvesting_jan=sum(A(9:12));
Q_harvesting_feb=A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1);
Q_harvesting_mar=A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2);
Q_harvesting_apr=A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3);
Q_harvesting_may=sum(A(1:4));
Q_harvesting_jun=sum(A(2:5));
Q_harvesting_jul=sum(A(3:6));
Q_harvesting_aug=sum(A(4:7));
Q_harvesting_sep=sum(A(5:8));
Q_harvesting_oct=sum(A(6:9));
Q_harvesting_nov=sum(A(7:10));
Q_harvesting_dec=sum(A(8:11));

elseif crop_time==5

Q_harvesting_jan=sum(A(8:12));
Q_harvesting_feb=A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1);
Q_harvesting_mar=A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2);
Q_harvesting_apr=A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3);
Q_harvesting_may=A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4);
Q_harvesting_jun=sum(A(1:5));
Q_harvesting_jul=sum(A(2:6));
Q_harvesting_aug=sum(A(3:7));
Q_harvesting_sep=sum(A(4:8));
Q_harvesting_oct=sum(A(5:9));
Q_harvesting_nov=sum(A(6:10));
Q_harvesting_dec=sum(A(7:11));

elseif crop_time==6

Q_harvesting_jan=sum(A(7:12));
Q_harvesting_feb=A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1);
Q_harvesting_mar=A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2);
Q_harvesting_apr=A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3);
Q_harvesting_may=A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4);
Q_harvesting_jun=A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5);
Q_harvesting_jul=sum(A(1:6));
Q_harvesting_aug=sum(A(2:7));
Q_harvesting_sep=sum(A(3:8));
Q_harvesting_oct=sum(A(4:9));
Q_harvesting_nov=sum(A(5:10));
Q_harvesting_dec=sum(A(6:11));

elseif crop_time==7

Q_harvesting_jan=sum(A(6:12));
Q_harvesting_feb=A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1);
Q_harvesting_mar=A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2);
Q_harvesting_apr=A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3);
Q_harvesting_may=A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4);
Q_harvesting_jun=A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5);
Q_harvesting_jul=A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6);
Q_harvesting_aug=sum(A(1:7));
Q_harvesting_sep=sum(A(2:8));
Q_harvesting_oct=sum(A(3:9));
Q_harvesting_nov=sum(A(4:10));
19
 Q_harvesting_dec=sum(A(5:11));

elseif crop_time==8

Q_harvesting_jan=sum(A(5:12));
Q_harvesting_feb=A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1);
Q_harvesting_mar=A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2);
Q_harvesting_apr=A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3);
Q_harvesting_may=A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4);
Q_harvesting_jun=A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5);
Q_harvesting_jul=A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6);
Q_harvesting_aug=A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7);
Q_harvesting_sep=sum(A(1:8));
Q_harvesting_oct=sum(A(2:9));
Q_harvesting_nov=sum(A(3:10));
Q_harvesting_dec=sum(A(4:11));

elseif crop_time==9

Q_harvesting_jan=sum(A(4:12));
Q_harvesting_feb=A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1);
Q_harvesting_mar=A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2);
Q_harvesting_apr=A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3);
Q_harvesting_may=A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4);
Q_harvesting_jun=A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5);
Q_harvesting_jul=A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6);
Q_harvesting_aug=A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7);
Q_harvesting_sep=A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8);
Q_harvesting_oct=sum(A(1:9));
Q_harvesting_nov=sum(A(2:10));
Q_harvesting_dec=sum(A(3:11));

elseif crop_time==10

Q_harvesting_jan=sum(A(3:12));
Q_harvesting_feb=A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1);
Q_harvesting_mar=A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2);
Q_harvesting_apr=A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3);
Q_harvesting_may=A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4);
Q_harvesting_jun=A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5);
Q_harvesting_jul=A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6);
Q_harvesting_aug=A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7);
Q_harvesting_sep=A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8);
Q_harvesting_oct=A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9);
Q_harvesting_nov=sum(A(1:10));
Q_harvesting_dec=sum(A(2:11));

elseif crop_time==11

Q_harvesting_jan=sum(A(2:12));
Q_harvesting_feb=A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1);
Q_harvesting_mar=A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2);
Q_harvesting_apr=A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3);
Q_harvesting_may=A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4);
Q_harvesting_jun=A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5);
Q_harvesting_jul=A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6);
Q_harvesting_aug=A(1,9)+A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7);
Q_harvesting_sep=A(1,10)+A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8);
Q_harvesting_oct=A(1,11)+A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9);
Q_harvesting_nov=A(1,12)+A(1,1)+A(1,2)+A(1,3)+A(1,4)+A(1,5)+A(1,6)+A(1,7)+A(1,8)+A(1,9)+A(1,10);
Q_harvesting_dec=sum(A(1:11));

elseif crop_time==12

Q_harvesting_feb=sum(A(1:12));
Q_harvesting_mar=sum(A(1:12));
Q_harvesting_apr=sum(A(1:12));
Q_harvesting_may=sum(A(1:12));
Q_harvesting_jun=sum(A(1:12));
Q_harvesting_jul=sum(A(1:12));
Q_harvesting_aug=sum(A(1:12));
Q_harvesting_sep=sum(A(1:12));
Q_harvesting_oct=sum(A(1:12));
Q_harvesting_nov=sum(A(1:12));
Q_harvesting_dec=sum(A(1:12));
Q_harvesting_jan=sum(A(1:12));

else disp('You have to enter a natural number between 1 and 12')

end

20
C=[Q_harvesting_jan Q_harvesting_feb Q_harvesting_mar Q_harvesting_apr Q_harvesting_may Q_harvesting_jun
Q_harvesting_jul Q_harvesting_aug Q_harvesting_sep Q_harvesting_oct Q_harvesting_nov Q_harvesting_dec];

% TEMPERATURE PROFILE

subplot(3,2,1)
xt=1:1:12;
yt=T;
plot(xt,yt,'b')
title('Temperature profile over the year')
xlabel('Months')
ylabel('Temperature [°C]')

% SOLAR RADIATION PROFILE

subplot(3,2,2)
xs=1:1:12;
ys=S;
plot(xs,ys,'r')
title('Solar irradiation profile over the year')
xlabel('Months')
ylabel('Solar irradiation [W/m^2]')

% HEATING DEMAND PER MONTH

subplot(3,2,3)
x_heating=1:1:12;
y_heating=A;
plot(x_heating,y_heating,'r')
title('Heating demand of the greenhouse')
xlabel('Months')
ylabel('Heating demand [MJ]')

% HEATING DEMAND PER MONTH AND PER SQUARE METER

subplot(3,2,4)
x_heating_m2=1:1:12;
y_heating_m2=A/(ground_area_greenhouse);
plot(x_heating_m2,y_heating_m2,'r')
title('Heating demand of the greenhouse')
xlabel('Months')
ylabel('Heating demand [MJ/m^2]')

% CUMULATIVE HEATING DEMAND AT HARVESTING TIME PER SQUARE METER

subplot(3,2,5)
x_heating_crop_time_m2=1:1:12;
y_heating_crop_time_m2=C/(ground_area_greenhouse);
plot(x_heating_crop_time_m2,y_heating_crop_time_m2,'g')
title('Heating demand per square meter')
xlabel('Months')
ylabel('Heating demand [MJ/m^2]')

% CUMULATIVE HEATING DEMAND AT HARVESTING TIME PER KILOGRAM

subplot(3,2,6)
x_heating_crop_time_kg=1:1:12;
y_heating_crop_time_kg=C/(crop_yield);
plot(x_heating_crop_time_kg,y_heating_crop_time_kg,'g')
title('Heating demand per kilogram')
xlabel('Months')
ylabel('Heating demand [MJ/kg]')

21
Program application of the Matlab code:

In order to know the consumption of your greenhouse, please answer the following questions: (press enter after each
fulfilled answer)

What is the ground area of your greenhouse [m2]? 40500

What is the volume of your greenhouse [m3]? 162000

What is the total cladding area of your greenhouse [m2]? 112536

What is the thickness of the walls of your greenhouse [m]? 0.0225

For the next question, check on http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html

What is the material conductivity of the housing of your greenhouse [W/m K]? 0.9

Do you have a ventilation system in your greenhouse [y or n]? n

What is the optimal growth temperature of your crop [°C]? 17.7

How long is the crop time period [months]? 11

How much crop yield do you achieve over the whole harvesting period [kg]? 2385450

For the following questions, check the data available for your region. Ex:
http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvgis/apps/radmonth.php?en=&europe=

What is the average temperature in January in your region [°C]? 3.1

What is the average temperature in February in your region [°C]? 4.5

What is the average temperature in March in your region [°C]? 6.5

What is the average temperature in April in your region [°C]? 9.7

What is the average temperature in May in your region [°C]? 13.7

What is the average temperature in June in your region [°C]? 16.4

What is the average temperature in July in your region [°C]? 18.5

What is the average temperature in August in your region [°C]? 18.6

What is the average temperature in September in your region [°C]? 15.7

What is the average temperature in October in your region [°C]? 11.8

What is the average temperature in November in your region [°C]? 7.1

What is the average temperature in December in your region [°C]? 3.6

22
What is the average solar radiation in January in your region [W/m2]? 40

What is the average solar radiation in February in your region [W/m2]? 90

What is the average solar radiation in March in your region [W/m2]? 111

What is the average solar radiation in April in your region [W/m2]? 173

What is the average solar radiation in May in your region [W/m2]? 203

What is the average solar radiation in June in your region [W/m2]? 189

What is the average solar radiation in July in your region [W/m2]? 199

What is the average solar radiation in August in your region [W/m2]? 183

What is the average solar radiation in September in your region [W/m2]? 138

What is the average solar radiation in October in your region [W/m2]? 96

What is the average solar radiation in November in your region [W/m2]? 47

What is the average solar radiation in December in your region [W/m2]? 31

Q_trans_tot [MJ] = 5.559e+07

Q_air_tot [MJ] = 0

Q_solar_tot [MJ] = 3.789e+07

Q_heating_tot [MJ] = 3.974e+07

23