We build a solar collector for a greenhouse ourselves

In early spring, seedlings planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse often suffer from return frosts. Not all gardeners have the opportunity to heat greenhouse structures using stoves, electricity or gas. This is expensive and requires constant monitoring, which summer residents cannot organize when they visit their plots intermittently. And here simple and inexpensive heat accumulators for greenhouses and greenhouses can come to the rescue.

What's included in the system

Solar panels.
We wrote about how to collect them in this article (opens in a new window). You can buy a ready-made set of solar panels for your home, but to save money, you can purchase polycrystalline solar cells and assemble solar panels for your home with your own hands. Inverter. Solar panels produce direct current close to 12 or 24 volts (depending on the connection), the inverter converts it into alternating current 220 V and 50 Hz, from which all household appliances can be powered.

Battery. Even their system. Solar energy is not produced constantly. During peak hours there may be an excess of it, and with the onset of dusk its production stops altogether. Batteries accumulate electricity during daylight hours and release it in the evening/night. How to choose a battery for a solar power plant is written in this article (opens in a new window).

It is important to know. It is not recommended to use ordinary car batteries for these purposes - they become unusable after 2-3 years of operation (this is the service life they are designed for). Controller

Provides a full charge to the battery and protects it from overcharging and boiling. We wrote about which controller to choose in this article (opens in a new window)

Controller. Provides a full charge to the battery and protects it from overcharging and boiling. We wrote about which controller to choose in this article (opens in a new window).

Requirements, advantages and disadvantages

The first thing that should be taken into account when designing heating for uniform heating of the soil and greenhouse air is the material of manufacture. It will be the primary factor determining the amount of heat loss that will need to be compensated by heat supply.

Did you know? The Eden greenhouse, located in the UK in the county of Cornwall, has the largest area

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1.5 hectares.
There are various heating options in greenhouses that you can do yourself, and the determining criterion is the choice of energy carrier - you can heat the room using gas, solid fuel, water or electricity.

There are basic requirements that the heating system must meet:

1. Humidity - heating work should not reduce the moisture level in the room, since a sharp drop in this indicator can cause a deterioration in the quality of plant growth and development. Depending on the type of crops grown, humidity levels should vary between 45-75%.
2. Heat exchange of air - the best option is considered to be, first of all, warming the soil, and then heating the air in the room.
3. Safety level - plants can be exposed to sudden temperature changes associated with distances from heating devices. Such situations can be avoided by installing a low-temperature operating mode for infrared heating in greenhouses.
4. Autonomy and level of safety of heat supply operation - during the cold season, even minor interruptions in the operation of the heating system can lead to a sharp drop in temperature in the greenhouse and even frost on the soil. Therefore, despite the selected type of heating, it is recommended to additionally equip the greenhouse with devices that control the air temperature.

Important! No heating system can create the necessary conditions in a greenhouse without additional insulation and sealing of the entire structure.

• Organizing an air distribution system with your own hands, in addition to ease of installation compared to water heating, has many advantages:
• The use of air as a coolant places less load on the pipeline walls, which virtually eliminates the formation of leaks and corrosion, and also reduces the requirements for pipe quality. Even in the event of an emergency, the consequences of breakdowns will not be as significant as, for example, if a pipeline breaks.
• In winter, air heating prevents pipes from freezing, and therefore the system does not require special maintenance.
• The air heating system provides the possibility of zoning the room, which is very convenient when growing different types of crops.
• The air heating system is a cost-effective equipment - efficiency indicators under conditions of minimal fuel consumption are about 85%.

• Among the disadvantages of such systems are:
• Air has low thermal conductivity, so to prevent rapid cooling of the greenhouse, the system must operate almost continuously.
• When installing a full-fledged air heating system, the flow movement will be provided by a fan, which makes heating dependent on electricity. In areas with frequent power outages, this option is only suitable if you purchase an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
• The difference in air temperature at the bottom of the room and at the top can be up to 12°C.

Cost of installing solar panels

The approximate cost of one panel is 90 rubles per 1 W.
That is, one module with a maximum power of 200 W will cost you 18,000 rubles. It is clear that one such module is not enough for the normal functioning of all networks and communications at home. You'll have to buy more than ten of them. Your own solar power plant for your home with a total capacity of 1 kW will cost you approximately 250 thousand rubles. not counting the cost of installation and additional devices (inverter, batteries, charge controller). Solar batteries based on monocrystalline or polycrystalline silicon will ensure complete autonomy of your home from central power grids, both during warm periods and during frosts. The main thing is to choose the right photocells and calculate their required quantity, based on the area of ​​the house and the required power. It would also be a good idea to take care of savings: replace light bulbs with energy-saving ones, insulate walls and roofs, install high-quality doors and window systems. Then your home will be warm and cozy, regardless of the weather.

Solar panel performance

Many people doubt the effective operation of these installations, because the weather in our country is not always sunny. And in winter, cloudy days are almost constant, and severe frosts contribute to the rapid waste of accumulated energy

Today's solar power plants are very powerful (from 200 W for one module). They produce energy all day long and capture light even in thick clouds or precipitation. True, in bad weather their power is reduced by almost half. Their advantage is that they are able to accumulate energy for future use. and if there is a lack of sunlight, they will give away what they have already accumulated.

In winter, the installations operate at full capacity, but their productivity is reduced due to the short daylight hours. A generation of batteries made from amorphous silicon don't even need to be pointed at the sun. They work great even in moderate clouds. The disadvantages of this type of modules include the fact that they require a large area for placement.

The effectiveness of their work depends on the region. For example, in St. Petersburg or Moscow, productivity will be slightly lower than in the southern regions. But this does not mean that their use in the northern regions is not advisable. Moreover, they have long been used there all year round and quite effectively.

Polycarbonate manifold

They are made from honeycomb panels with good thermal insulation properties. Sheet thickness from 4 to 30 mm. The choice of polycarbonate thickness depends on the required heat transfer. The thicker the sheet and the cells in it, the more water the installation can heat.

To make a solar system yourself, in particular a homemade solar water heater made of polycarbonate, you will need the following materials:

• two threaded rods;
• propylene corners, the fittings must have an external threaded connection;
• PVC plastic pipes: 2 pcs, length 1.5 m, diameter 32;
• 2 plugs.

The pipes are laid parallel to the housing. Connect to the hot water supply via shut-off valves. A thin cut is made along the pipe into which a sheet of polycarbonate can be inserted. Thanks to the thermosiphon principle, water will independently flow into the grooves (cells) of the sheet, heat up and go into the storage tank located at the top of the entire heating system. To seal and fix the sheets inserted into the pipe, thermally resistant silicone is used.

To increase the thermal efficiency of a cellular polycarbonate collector, the sheet is coated with any selective paint. Heating of water after applying selective coating accelerates approximately twice.

Greenhouse heat accumulator

Those who like to grow vegetables and fruits at any time of the year should understand and know that there are additional products, including a heat accumulator for greenhouses and greenhouses, thanks to which this activity becomes easier and brings real pleasure.

What is a greenhouse battery?

This is a unique, very useful energy storage device, but not one that everyone confidently uses in vehicles, boilers, as well as in many other devices that need to be provided with electricity for a certain period of time. This is a kind of device that can accumulate energy from the sun, and then distribute it to the right places.

Greenhouse heat accumulator: how it works

The heat accumulator for greenhouses has its own operating principle, which is simple and convenient.

If we are talking, for example, about a water accumulator, then it is necessary to pour plain water into one or another device, over time it is heated by the sun, and at night the heat accumulator for greenhouses gives off heat to the beds with plants, thereby providing them with heat and simplifying the process of growing zucchini and other vegetables and fruits in a greenhouse.

If you are wondering how a greenhouse heat accumulator works, then you should understand that there is nothing complicated in this process. The only factor to consider is that the device must be dark in color, because it is dark colors that attract the sun’s rays the most.

What types of greenhouse batteries are there?

Of course, among the most effective options that can be used to heat a greenhouse structure is a stove, as well as a certain heating part. But it is worth noting that not every person has the opportunity to use such devices, because the greenhouse may not be located near the house, or even far away in the country.

Thus, among the large number of products on the market, there are special ones that are made from black films about 250 microns thick. Water is poured into the product and it begins to work.

These are effective devices that can be easily placed on the beds in the required order and provide complete heating. In the daytime, such devices heat the air temperature to 25 degrees, when it’s even -5 below zero outside. This means that the seedlings will not be able to freeze.

Do-it-yourself heat accumulator for a greenhouse

You can make such a device yourself. In order to make a heat accumulator for a greenhouse with your own hands, you use only the means that are at hand.

The main requirement is that the product can independently collect water and also release it in conditions of low temperature. In such cases, no metal containers are used, since this material heats up very quickly and releases thermal elements only for a short time.

Thus, you can make a heat accumulator for a greenhouse with your own hands from the following materials:

Everyone has seen that in the summer, stones quickly gain temperature, and can release heat for a long time

That is why it is important to think about whether the selected device can store energy. As an example, let us note heating stoves that are made of steel, brick

By the way, the latter type takes a very long time to cool down.

It is important to understand that the larger the diameter, the better it will serve. Typically, you can find devices with a diameter of 50 and 100 mm

One side of such a product must be sealed, which will eliminate the risk of water leakage. Specialized stores sell special plugs of one diameter or another, with which the pipe is securely fastened.

The other one is also characterized by tightness, but you should not close it tightly, because it is in this side that you should pour water, and also control the liquid level. There are quite a lot of implementation options, including the use of simple plastic bottles.

Types of greenhouse batteries:

• Mermen
• Stone
• Ground

We have already talked about the water version, we also figured out the stones. Now let’s consider a situation where the soil can act as an energy accumulator.

This is the cheapest heating method, but it has a small effect and is significantly inferior to the two above methods.

The soil is characterized by low heat accumulation, so it is worth using one or another mechanical device for heating the greenhouse.

What does heat storage provide?

The operation of a greenhouse is based on the entry of solar energy into the shelter and its accumulation there due to the properties of the covering materials. However, even in winter, the amount of this energy far exceeds the needs of plants. The excess is simply reflected into space and does not bring any benefit from it.

If we use the accumulation of solar heat in a greenhouse, then the resulting reserves can then be successfully used for heating. The advantages are obvious: the temperature in the greenhouse is maintained at the desired level without consuming expensive energy resources for artificial heating.

Alternative heating sources and prospects for their development

Among the large number of different types of heating systems, alternative energy sources occupy a special place. In addition to traditional sources such as gas and electricity, all possible heating methods are used today. Among them are the following types of alternative energy sources:

• solid fuel – today, most heating systems use energy obtained from burning solid fuels such as wood and coal. Such systems are capable of solving all problems related to heating and hot water supply;
• a heat pump that uses the energy of soil and reservoirs is a very promising system that often requires large financial investments;
• wind generators that use wind power. In some countries where this issue is being addressed at the state level, such systems have great prospects and are already working quite effectively;
• solar panels powered, as you might guess, by solar energy. The design of such systems is usually of great interest. In some countries, such as Germany, solar panels provide heat and hot water to entire areas.

Solar heating system

Before imagining how the coolant is heated, it is worth considering what a solar battery is and what the principle of its operation is. A solar battery is nothing more than several photovoltaic converters combined into one unit, or a semiconductor device that uses sunlight and converts it into electricity. Everything happens in close connection with the basic laws of physics, which do not make much sense to consider. Today, solar energy attracts not only the views of scientists, but also ordinary people who are trying to solve problems related to water supply and heating.

Thermal accumulator

Ivanovich Ivanov

writes: Look, don’t even think about arranging such a structure in the basement of a residential building.

Miskinis

writes: Have you considered how much battery capacity is needed per square meter of house?

Maxim V

writes: Thick thermal insulation is great, but you can make a structure with air gaps between the layers. Those. 20 cm foam plastic (mineral wool), 20 cm air, etc. So, at low cost, it is possible to double the thermal insulation layer. In this case, in the intervals, water leakage from the container will be immediately visible, the thermal insulation will be ventilated, and will not become wet in the mass if there are hidden holes.

Stas Mac

writes: Tell me, how does this structure hold the entire column, so to speak, the mass of water? The video doesn't seem to show any metal frames, or is there something like a welded skeleton inside? Or some other solution? It’s just that foam doesn’t hold tons of water?

Alexander Vasilenkov

writes: Let the fish in, feed them bread, potatoes and onions, and cook the fish soup so that everyone can eat.)

We are talking about a device that is capable of accumulating thermal energy from the Sun for a certain time, and then releasing it evenly to the surrounding area. To put it simply, in our case the most common means are used as a heat storage:

DIY solar heating system

Today, the production of solar panels is already reaching an industrial level, but anyone can assemble a solar battery that can meet the needs of small house construction. Making solar panels with your own hands today is not much more difficult than assembling a simple electrical circuit. But for this you need to have everything you need, namely the solar energy converters themselves (monocrystalline solar cells), the necessary hardware, silicone sealant and soldering equipment. After this, you need to arm yourself with a soldering iron and get to work.

Before starting work, it is necessary to assemble the frame in which the solar cells will be located. It is a glazed box. For this purpose, you can order a metal-plastic double-glazed window made to the required size. Then we proceed directly to preparing the solar battery elements for assembly. To do this, contacts, or current-carrying tracks, are soldered to each of them. Then the system is assembled, consisting of four rows of nine elements in each row, for a total of 36 elements. The distance between assembly elements should be 5 mm.

During assembly, one condition must be observed - each adjacent row must be rotated 180 degrees, which will allow all elements to be assembled into one single chain. After this, it is necessary to attach a diode to each bundle consisting of six modules, although it is preferable to do this to each individual element. At the output, another common diode is installed, which is supplied complete with monocrystalline ones. After this, all contacts are finally bonded, and all voids are filled with silicone.

Upon completion of assembly, the internal surface is processed. To ensure the functionality of the device, you can cover the device with aluminum foil. Naturally, it is necessary to convert the received energy to obtain the required voltage. To do this, the solar energy is accumulated using a charging controller and the 12V battery is charged. After this, using a special inverter, this voltage can be converted into the required 220 Volts. As a result, 36 elements, 0.5 Volts each, ultimately allow us to obtain the required voltage.

However, hearing it is one thing, but seeing it with your own eyes is quite another. In this case, a lot of questions that usually arise after reading any material will immediately disappear. In the video presented, the process of assembling a solar battery seems very clear and intelligible. Many people can make a solar radiator if they have at least some skills in electrical engineering.

Role of greenhouse design

The presented option for creating a homemade collector is not the only one. There are other different designs of solar collectors that differ in their cost and operational efficiency. Any solar collectors that are manufactured independently are cheaper than factory-made options.

If you take a professional approach to growing various crops in greenhouses, then a self-designed solar collector will not be able to provide the required temperature conditions. In this case, a professional collector is purchased. There are various options available for sale. They are quite expensive, but the efficiency justifies the money spent.

Experience shows that extruded polystyrene foam can be used as a greenhouse insulator. The advantages of its use lie in its strength, it is not afraid of moisture and does not deform, and at the same time provides good heat retention.

DIY solar collector

The design of the greenhouse plays a big role. Due to working with asymmetrical structures, the heating efficiency of the greenhouse increases by 25% compared to conventional structures.

Technical and electrical parameters of installations

• High resistance
• Efficiency from 20%
• Strained glass
• Water permeability of the case
• Resistance to bad weather conditions

Most often, an electrical system is used to heat a house that receives energy from solar modules.
But sometimes water heating is also carried out. which is supplied to the electric boiler. The heating circuit and installation in this case differ only in that additional space will be needed to accommodate batteries and a DC-DC converter. When using solar energy, it is more efficient to heat large areas (for example, heated floors) to small values. In such a system it is easier to change the temperature. if the weather changes, it’s easier to mount it. than others. In addition, the appearance of the interior will not be spoiled by bulky radiators.

Water solar collectors for greenhouse heating

For a number of reasons, water heating of greenhouses is more preferable, although the cost of such a system is significantly higher than the cost of an air heating system. In essence, the solar water heating system of a greenhouse is no different from the solar heating system of a country house itself.

The differences lie only in the shape and location of the heating elements. In greenhouses, instead of the usual heating radiators for the room, pipes are laid along the walls in which warm water circulates. Pipes are also laid in the earthen floor of the greenhouse at a depth of 30 to 50 cm. This ensures both air heating and soil heating in the greenhouse.

Solar water heating diagram

In a water heating system, the coolant can be heated both in flat-plate collectors and in collectors on vacuum tubes. In a flat-plate collector, a flat coil is attached to the absorber, the manufacture of which requires a copper tube. This copper tube is first filled with salt, and only then can it be bent without fear of kinks.

When the tube takes the desired shape, the salt is easily washed out of it with running water. The coil is attached to the absorber and painted black with heat-resistant paint. The inlet and outlet pipes are brought out, and the holes through which they were brought out are sealed.

Scheme of a flat solar collector

Manifolds have a different design, built using vacuum tubes, which are connected with their tips to the coolant circuit pipe. Vacuum tubes are a glass cylinder, inside of which a copper tube with a low-boiling liquid is placed. The upper end of the copper tube is slightly expanded and sealed.

The space between the outer and outer tubes has been evacuated to create the maximum possible thermal insulation. The liquid inside the copper tube heats up and evaporates when exposed to solar radiation. Steam rises to the tip and heats it. Giving off heat, the steam cools, condenses and flows down the walls. At the tip the temperature can reach 270°C – 300°C.

Vacuum tube diagram

Vacuum manifold

The liquid heated in solar collectors is supplied by circulation pumps to a heat exchanger installed in the boiler. The water heated in the boiler enters the heating system. This tank must have strong thermal insulation to retain heat in the dark.

To prevent the water in the boiler from cooling too much, another heating element of the backup heating system is provided. This system turns on when necessary at night and can be powered from the home's solar power supply batteries.

Solar energy is increasingly becoming part of our everyday life. Its possibilities are inexhaustible. The sun gives us light, heat, electricity. And it would be simply unforgivable not to take advantage of this source of free energy. published econet.ru

What else is suitable for accumulating heat for seedlings?

Water is the best heat storage device, but not the only one. There are other materials that can be used to protect seedlings from frost:

Clay and stone heat up well and release energy for a long time. This property is inherent in the design of Russian and other folk stoves. For guaranteed results, you can combine water and stone batteries.

“Lezheboka” is not omnipotent, but it is capable of raising the night temperature in the greenhouse at soil level by 8 degrees. In other words, during frosts of minus 5 degrees, the air around the seedlings will maintain a positive temperature. Place a couple of plump couch potatoes in your greenhouse, and you won’t have to flinch when you look at the thermometer in the evening twilight.

Where to begin

Calculation of electricity costs. To determine the required power of a solar panel system, you need to calculate how much electricity you use. Much in this matter depends on whether a private house is used constantly or only as a summer house in certain seasons of the year. To calculate, take electricity payment receipts for the year and determine the total number of kilowatts spent during this period, then divide by 12 (the number of months) - you will get the average monthly electricity consumption.

Calculation of average monthly electricity consumption

As experience and reviews from real consumers show, in central Russia the result must be multiplied by a factor of 16 to obtain the required battery power in Watts.

Let's look at an example. In a year you spent 1625 kW, divide this figure by 12 months and multiply by a factor of 16 - it turns out 2166 watts. Those. a solar panel system will provide such a house if its power is at least 2200 Watt/hour

Ideas for heating greenhouses with your own hands

Many summer residents install greenhouses or greenhouses on their plots to grow seedlings in them and get an earlier and richer harvest. But if such a structure is equipped with a heating system, then you can harvest vegetables, herbs and even strawberries all year round. But to make heating in a greenhouse, you will need preparation and some construction skills.

Methods of heating greenhouses

There are several types of heating for indoor structures for growing vegetables all year round. Each of them has its pros and cons.

Possible types of heating and their advantages:

1. Stove heating is characterized by high efficiency, simple construction technology, availability of fuel and the ability to regulate temperature. Installing a furnace or boiler will not require large financial costs.
2. Air heating can quickly heat any area, and its construction technology is quite simple.
3. The water system is reliable, safe and temperature adjustable. When using such devices, the greenhouse will always have air humidity suitable for growing plants.
4. Solar panels are a natural, affordable, simple and cheap heating process. On a sunny day, the heat transfer from them is gradual.
5. Gas heating is practical, relatively low cost, and provides fast and uniform heating when using a heater.
6. Electric heating of greenhouses and greenhouses is practical, simple and effective. The devices can be used around the clock, and portable equipment can be installed in any convenient place.

But each of these heating systems has its drawbacks. Among them:

1. Stove heating requires constant monitoring.
2. In an air system, the heating process must be constantly maintained.
3. For water heating, you may need electrical equipment for heating water or even installing an entire boiler room. All this is not cheap.
4. Solar panels are only effective in good sunny weather. When using them, it will not be possible to regulate the air temperature.
5. The gas system requires constant monitoring as there is a risk of fire. To install it, permission from special services is required.
6. Electrical equipment requires a power source, dries the air and is quite expensive to use (electricity costs).

A specific heating system is suitable for each building. For example, for standard greenhouses with a small area, you should not choose expensive equipment. And in large industrial greenhouses, infrared coolants, heat pumps and other advanced technologies can be used.

Solar batteries for greenhouse production. Greenhouse heating: types, methods and how to save

Heating greenhouses helps create a favorable climate for plant development in autumn and winter. Heating a greenhouse in winter maintains the required level of heat (+17...+20°C) inside the greenhouse naturally, protecting seedlings from death due to hypothermia or freezing.

Proper heating in a greenhouse: norms

Heating of winter greenhouses is regulated by the norms and regulations of SNiP 2.10.04-85 “Greenhouses and greenhouses”, which state:

• heating of winter greenhouses and greenhouses is carried out using secondary energy resources, heat from geothermal waters, if the listed sources are not available - from thermal power plants, nuclear
• power plants and combined heat and power plants or own heat sources;
• Heat supply and ventilation of greenhouses are organized based on taking into account the heat received by the soil during the day (in the cold season) and from solar radiation (in the warm season);
• The greenhouse heating system is designed with the condition that the coolant temperature is not higher than 150 °C.

Greenhouse heating: types

Ways to organize heating of a greenhouse in winter are based on the use of:

• gas;
• electricity;
• solar energy;
• infrared radiation.

Heating of greenhouses with gas works using gas heaters. The gas is burned directly inside the greenhouse.

During the operation of gas generators, carbon dioxide and steam necessary for plants are produced. The disadvantage of the system is that there is a high probability of oxygen burnout. This leads to the death of plants.

Electric heating of industrial greenhouses is carried out using the following methods:

• the use of convectors (in this case the ground does not warm up enough);
• use of air heaters (causes dry air);
• heating using cables (overheating of the plant root system is possible);
• water heating of industrial greenhouses (disadvantages: high cost, complex installation, need for constant monitoring).

With the help of infrared heating, the soil, the location of the plants, and the structure of the greenhouse are heated. The system uses heating and control devices. Disadvantages: high cost and high energy costs.

Heating greenhouses with solar energy

The types of greenhouse heating listed above do not make it possible to eliminate operating costs. Heating, based on the operation of devices that accumulate free, publicly available solar energy, solves this issue.

The equipment is now used in Europe, the USA, and Canada. It is also represented on the Russian market. Heating greenhouses with solar energy eliminates the need to pay for heating with gas or electric appliances.

The equipment is easy to install and operates autonomously in spring, winter, summer and autumn.

Heating of greenhouses with solar air collector

Such a collector is the main element of this heating system. Depending on the location of this collector, heating can be carried out either by natural air circulation in the system or by using fans.

In the first case, the outlet pipe of the manifold should be located below the socket of the inlet in the greenhouse. Then the air heated in the collector, according to the laws of convection, will rise through the air duct and enter the greenhouse. The displaced cooled air enters the collector through the return air duct, heats up and returns to the greenhouse. This cycle is continuous and lasts throughout the entire sunny day.

In the second case, the location of the solar collector does not matter, since air circulation is supported by fans installed in the greenhouse at the warm air inlet

This method ensures uniform distribution of warm air masses throughout the heated volume, and, what is very important, uniform heating of the soil

Naturally, air ducts (especially hot ones) must be covered with thermal insulation so that the air cannot cool down quickly. At night, the air in a greenhouse without hot feed can cool quite quickly. Therefore, to maintain thermal conditions, it is necessary to provide a backup heating circuit. These can be fan heaters, air heaters.

The airborne solar collector itself is an extremely simple design. You can assemble it yourself from scrap materials in less than an hour. This is a sealed wooden box 10–15 cm high. The bottom is made of fiberboard. For strength, the side walls are connected with wooden blocks with a section of 5x5 centimeters.

A heat insulator is placed on the bottom - polystyrene foam or mineral wool. An absorber, for example, galvanized iron sheet, is placed on top of the heat-insulating layer. To increase the heating area, additional fins can be attached to this sheet.

All seams on the inside of the box are carefully treated with “Sealant”, after which the inside of the box is coated with black heat-resistant paint. Depending on where and how the collector will be installed, pipes for air inlet and outlet are built into its sides. After all the preparatory work, the box is closed with tempered glass, the joints of the glass with the body are sealed with “Sealant”.

Solar air collector diagram

All that remains is to put the collector in place and connect the air ducts to the greenhouse. In this case, the outlet pipe of the collector should be located above the inlet pipe. The dimensions of the collector are determined only by the dimensions of the metal sheet and glass. Depending on the size of the greenhouse, there may be several such collectors.

The air in such a collector is heated to a temperature of 45°C - 50°C. The heated air not only maintains a comfortable temperature for plants in the greenhouse, but, giving off its heat, also heats the soil, which creates the most favorable conditions for the development of the plant root system.

Lazyboka - a cheap and reliable heat accumulator for a greenhouse

Having planted seedlings in greenhouses, the vegetable grower is in constant excitement: during the day, the young leaves will be warmed by the spring sun, and night frosts can destroy them. If the costs of building a stove are not planned, you can act more rationally. The simplest heat accumulator with the funny name “Lezheboka” will itself lie quietly between the beds, and will allow the owner to sleep peacefully. From the article, the reader will learn why such a device receives positive reviews and how to make it from scrap materials with your own hands.

The principle of operation of solar panels

Modules that capture solar energy are electricity generators based on photovoltaic reactions.
Electric current is generated according to the principle of emission (emission of electrons) of heated bodies. The basis for the panels is silicon. The efficiency of one such module is not too high - about 30% with a power of up to 300 W. To obtain better results, the developers combined several dozen solar cells in circuits. And this method gave better results; some installations can fully operate even in moderate cloudiness. To create a comfortable temperature all year round in a house of 30 square meters. m. in the central zone of our country, the total surface area of ​​the modules should be at least 100−120 sq. m. m. Inside the house there must be a room for batteries and distribution equipment.