Rooftop hydroponics AgriPV using water cooling and supplementary lighting

• Main Author: Chan, Teng Fong
• Other Authors: Ng Yin Kwee
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168396
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In traditional agriculture, a lot of arable lands are required to be sectioned out specifically to operate on a commercial scale. In addition, the growing process is typically inefficient as due to the reliance on weather conditions and sunlight for plant growth. With the rise in popularity of next generation precision farming such as hydroponics and vertical farms with specialized LEDs, the reliance on land space and natural lighting has decreased, while maximizing plant growth efficiency. However, this method chews through energy from the grid, which originates from a non-renewable source. Hence, there is a need to develop a more innovative and energy-efficient method to grow crops. This research project aims to explore the feasibility and efficiency of integrating both methods, utilizing sunlight, hydroponics and horticulture light to increase the rate of crop growth, and to draw and store solar energy using Photovoltaics (PV) to power the renewable energy setup. While existing research on Agri PVs have been conducted, a research gap not frequently explored is the utilization of PV energy to increase the efficiency of plant growth. Therefore, the objective of this research on using PVs to provide clean energy, using the energy to provide cooling for the PV to generate more energy, then using the increased energy generated to power supplementary lighting. which will increase plant growth rate in a rooftop farming environment.