Green House

1. INTRODUCTION

The Sun powers Earth’s climate, radiating energy at very short wavelengths,

predominately in the visible or near-visible (e.g., ultraviolet) part of the spectrum. Roughly one-

third of the solar energy that reaches the top of Earth’s atmosphere is reflected directly back to

space. The remaining two-thirds is absorbed by the surface and, to a lesser extent, by the

atmosphere. To balance the absorbed incoming energy, the Earth must, on average, radiate the

same amount of energy back to space. Because the Earth is much colder than the Sun, it radiates

at much longer wavelengths, primarily in the infrared part of the spectrum (see Figure 1). Much

of this thermal radiation emitted by the land and ocean is absorbed by the atmosphere, including

clouds, and reradiated back to Earth. This is called the greenhouse effect. The glass walls in a

greenhouse reduce airflow and increase the temperature of the air inside. Analogously, but

through a different physical process, the Earth’s greenhouse effect warms the surface of the

planet. Without the natural greenhouse effect, the average temperature at Earth’s surface would

be below the freezing point of water. Thus, Earth’s natural greenhouse effect makes life as we

know it possible. However, human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of

forest, have greatly intensified the natural greenhouse effect, causing global warming.

The two most abundant gases in the atmosphere, nitrogen (comprising 78% of the dry

atmosphere) and oxygen (comprising 21%), exert almost no greenhouse effect. Instead, the

greenhouse effect comes from molecules that are more complex and much less common. Water

vapour is the most important greenhouse gas, and carbon dioxide (CO 2) is the second-most

important one. Methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and several other gases present in the atmosphere

in small amounts also contribute to the greenhouse effect. In the humid equatorial regions, where

there is so much water vapour in the air that the greenhouse effect is very large, adding a small

Page 1
 Green House

additional amount of CO2 or water vapour has only a small direct impact on downward infrared

radiation. However, in the cold, dry polar regions, the effect of a small increase in CO 2 or water

vapour is much greater. The same is true for the cold, dry upper atmosphere where a small

increase in water vapour has a greater influence on the greenhouse effect than the same change in

water vapour would have near the surface.

Several components of the climate system, notably the oceans and living things, affect

atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. A prime example of this is plants taking CO 2

out of the atmosphere and converting it (and water) into carbohydrates via photosynthesis. In the

industrial era, human activities have added greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, primarily

through the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests.

Adding more of a greenhouse gas, such as CO2, to the atmosphere intensifies the

greenhouse effect, thus warming Earth’s climate. The amount of warming depends on various

feedback mechanisms. For example, as the atmosphere warms due to rising levels of greenhouse

gases, its concentration of water vapour increases, further intensifying the greenhouse effect.

This in turn causes more warming, which causes an additional increase in water vapour, in a self-

reinforcing cycle. This water vapour feedback may be strong enough to approximately double

the increase in the greenhouse effect due to the added CO2 alone.

Additional important feedback mechanisms involve clouds. Clouds are effective at

absorbing infrared radiation and therefore exert a large greenhouse effect, thus warming the

Earth. Clouds are also effective at reflecting away incoming solar radiation, thus cooling the

Earth. A change in almost any aspect of clouds, such as their type, location, water content, cloud

altitude, particle size and shape, or lifetimes, affects the degree to which clouds warm or cool the

Earth. Some changes amplify warming while others diminish it. Much research is in progress to

Page 2
 Green House

better understand how clouds change in response to climate warming, and how these changes

affect climate through various feedback mechanisms.

Page 3
 Green House

2. BASIC MECHANISM

The Earth receives energy from the Sun in the form UV, visible, and near IR radiation,

most of which passes through the atmosphere without being absorbed. Of the total amount of

energy available at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), about 50% is absorbed at the Earth's

surface. Because it is warm, the surface radiates far IR thermal radiation that consists of

wavelengths that are predominantly much longer than the wavelengths that were absorbed (the

overlap between the incident solar spectrum and the terrestrial thermal spectrum is small enough

to be neglected for most purposes). Most of this thermal radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere

and re-radiated both upwards and downwards; that radiated downwards is absorbed by the

Earth's surface. This trapping of long-wavelength thermal radiation leads to a higher equilibrium

temperature than if the atmosphere were absent. This highly simplified picture of the basic

mechanism needs to be qualified in a number of ways, none of which affect the fundamental

process.

The solar radiation spectrum for direct light at both the top of the Earth's atmosphere and

at sea level.

 The incoming radiation from the Sun is mostly in the form of visible light and nearby

wavelengths, largely in the range 0.2–4 μm, corresponding to the Sun's radiative

temperature of 6,000 K. Almost half the radiation is in the form of "visible" light, which

our eyes are adapted to use.

 About 50% of the Sun's energy is absorbed at the Earth's surface and the rest is reflected

or absorbed by the atmosphere. The reflection of light back into space—largely by clouds

—does not much affect the basic mechanism; this light, effectively, is lost to the system.

Page 4
 Green House

 The absorbed energy warms the surface. Simple presentations of the greenhouse effect,

such as the idealized greenhouse model, show this heat being lost as thermal radiation.

The reality is more complex: the atmosphere near the surface is largely opaque to thermal

radiation (with important exceptions for "window" bands), and most heat loss from the

surface is by sensible heat and latent heat transport. Radiative energy losses become

increasingly important higher in the atmosphere largely because of the decreasing

concentration of water vapor, an important greenhouse gas. It is more realistic to think of

the greenhouse effect as applying to a "surface" in the mid-troposphere, which is

effectively coupled to the surface by a lapse rate.

 The simple picture assumes a steady state. In the real world there is the diurnal cycle as

well as seasonal cycles and weather. Solar heating only applies during daytime. During

the night, the atmosphere cools somewhat, but not greatly, because its emissivity is low,

and during the day the atmosphere warms. Diurnal temperature changes decrease with

height in the atmosphere.

 Within the region where radiative effects are important the description given by the

idealized greenhouse model becomes realistic: The surface of the Earth, warmed to a

temperature around 255 K, radiates long-wavelength, infrared heat in the range 4–

100 μm. At these wavelengths, greenhouse gases that were largely transparent to

incoming solar radiation are more absorbent. Each layer of atmosphere with greenhouses

gases absorbs some of the heat being radiated upwards from lower layers. It re-radiates in

all directions, both upwards and downwards; in equilibrium (by definition) the same

amount as it has absorbed. This results in more warmth below. Increasing the

Page 5
 Green House

concentration of the gases increases the amount of absorption and re-radiation, and

thereby further warms the layers and ultimately the surface below.

 Greenhouse gases—including most diatomic gases with two different atoms (such as

carbon monoxide, CO) and all gases with three or more atoms—are able to absorb and

emit infrared radiation. Though more than 99% of the dry atmosphere is IR transparent

(because the main constituents—N2, O2, and Ar—are not able to directly absorb or emit

infrared radiation), intermolecular collisions cause the energy absorbed and emitted by

the greenhouse gases to be shared with the other, non-IR-active, gases. Well the first

think that got me excited is the price point. The retail for this miniature greenhouse is

$109… but it's frequently on sale at amazon with free shipping included. Although it only

weighs 18 pounds, it holds a decent amount of plants. Perfect for most casual gardeners

that want to protect their garden creations. Because it only weighs 18 pounds, it won't do

any damage to your lawn. Most greenhouses weigh significantly more and can leave an

unpleasant imprint on the grass it lays on.

3. HOW DO I GROW VEGETABLES IN A SOLAR GREENHOUSE?

Solar greenhouses are an ideal way to extend the growing season. They are used extensively in

rural areas of developing nations, as well as by home growers, because they are relatively easy and

inexpensive to build, and do not require electricity. This allows farmers and home gardeners to plant and

harvest fresh vegetables well into the cold season. Natural materials, such as water and rocks, absorb heat

during the day and gradually release it at night, providing a consistent temperature in the greenhouse.

4. Setting Up Your Solar Greenhouse

Page 6
 Green House

Choose the proper solar greenhouse design for your needs. The three most common

designs are freestanding, attached and pit greenhouses. Solar pit greenhouses require the least

amount of resources. They consist of a large pit dug below the frost line, with a glass or plastic

roof angled to catch the maximum amount of light. Dirt from the pit is piled along the north rim

of the pit in a berm, which supports the top edge of the roof. Attached greenhouses are built

against one wall of an existing structure. They take advantage of the heat and insulation of the

existing building.Freestanding greenhouses should be angled to maximize the amount of light

they receive in the winter. Let's save the Planet Suzlon's Tulsi Tanti on ways to attain sustainable

energy www.Suzlon.com/SaveThePlanet-Book Sponsored Links Provide a convenient water

supply for your greenhouse. If you do not have a faucet inside the greenhouse and will run a hose

from another location, cover the hose with an insulating material or bury it to prevent freezing.

Design a solar heat storage system that will absorb heat during the day and gradually release it as

temperatures dip at night. This will help moderate cold temperatures in your solar greenhouse

and protect your plants from frost. Simple is usually best in this case. Bricks, large rocks or water

in gallon jugs are ideal storage materials because they hold heat very effectively. Stack your

material against the north wall of the greenhouse, where it will not block the sun. If you use

water, spray paint the gallon jugs black to maximize heat storage, then stack them on shelves

along the north wall provide a ventilation system to let excess heat escape. This may be as simple

as a door or window that can be left open.

5. Plant Vegetables
Page 7
 Green House

Choose plants that do well in greenhouse environments. Lettuces and cool season

vegetables are ideal for solar greenhouse production. Choose plants that grow well in containers.

If you have a pit greenhouse, some plants can be sown directly in the soil. Arrange containers

along the south wall, where they will receive the most heat and light. Remember to leave

yourself a walkway through the greenhouse. Install a thermometer and monitor heat levels.

Ventilate the greenhouse if temperatures get too hot for your plants. If heat loss is a problem,

seal or cover the doors, windows and any other area that could allow heat to escape. The

polycarbonate technology is an advancement, and I wouldn't buy any greenhouse without it.

Polycarbonate fiber is better for the environment, but perhaps even more importantly, it's an

incredibly safe material. You don't have to worry about your kids or pets getting hurt by a glass

based material. This was a huge improvement for me. Easy to transport and it's also really easy

to set up. Most people can erect this greenhouse in less than an hour. And once you know what

you're doing, it can take significantly less than that. Being able to transport my prized garden

possessions in less than an hour (usually about 20 mins) is very, very cool. Another notable plus

is that Gardman is a very honourable company that stands behind all of their products. If for

whatever reason, this greenhouse does not live up to expectations, Gardman is very quick to

offer support, or ship a completely new model.

Page 8
 Green House

The only drawback would be that it's not big enough for gardeners that have an

overwhelmingly large number of plants to protect. If you have a flock of plants that need

protecting, you are better off going for a bigger greenhouse. But for a small solution, this is the

best option that you can find and best of all, the price is right. You can snag this greenhouse for

less than 100 bucks and it will ship for free to your door. As warming of the climate gathers

alarming pace posing a danger to agriculture, greenhouse cultivation is the only answer to save

crops of flowers and vegetables, experts have said. Greenhouse farming, which is cultivation of

plants inside a building with glass walls and roof under controlled condition, has become

necessary as temperature ideally required for flower cultivation is no longer available, not even

during winter. Floriculturists say that the ideal day and night temperatures for flower cultivation

are 28 and 18 degrees celsius respectively. However, they point out, the temperature in most

parts of the country remained above this level even in the peak winter season. Sanjay Parade,

training coordinator and manager of the Horticulture Training Center (HTC), Pune said that the

gradual warming of temperature would finally tell on flower production in the country. India is a

Page 9
 Green House

major exporter of flowers. In the wake of the climate change, greenhouse farming is the only

way to protect crops and manage a better yield than in normal condition.

Farming under controlled condition, Parade said, protects crops from wind, rain,

radiation, and precipitation.HTC is imparting training to farmers in greehouse technology for

higher productivity, he said. Also 20 per cent subsidy was given for the greenhouse flower

cultivation, a senior assistant director of the National Horticulture Board, S C Panwar, said.

While over 1,30,000 hectares of area were under flower cultivation in the country, only 1,100

hectares now come under protected cultivation, the HTC manager said. He pointed out while

farmers in several other states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and

Andhra Pradesh adopted the greenhouse technology; the farmers in Orissa were yet to start on

it.In Orissa, head of the Flowers Growers Association Nirmal Nayak said, 6000 hectares in

Orissa were at present under flower cultivation. He said out of a total of 655000 metric tonnes of

flowers produced in the country, 80 per cent are Indian roses, 10 per cent are gerbra and jasmine.

Greenhouse is a building where plants are cultivated. A greenhouse made ??of glass or plastic;

He gets hot because the electromagnetic radiation coming from the sun heats the plant, soil, and

other items in this building. Glass used for home working as a transmission medium can choose

the frequency of the different spectral, and the effect is to capture the energy in the greenhouse,

which heats the soil in which plants and which also heats the air near the ground and the air is

prevented from rising to up and flow out.

Page 10
 Green House

Therefore greenhouse works by capturing electromagnetic radiation and preventing

convection. See solar greenhouse (technical) for discussion of technical how solar greenhouse

works.

Greenhouses are often used to develop flowers, fruit and tobacco plants. Bumble bees are

the pollinators of choice for much greenhouse pollination, although other types of bees are also

used, as well as artificial pollination.

Page 11
 Green House

A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse) is a building in which plants are grown. These

structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings. A miniature greenhouse is

known as a cold frame. A greenhouse is a structure with different types of covering materials,

such as a glass or plastic roof and frequently glass or plastic walls; it heats up because incoming

visible solar radiation (for which the glass is transparent) from the sun is absorbed by plants, soil,

and other things inside the building. Air warmed by the heat from hot interior surfaces is retained

in the building by the roof and wall. In addition, the warmed structures and plants inside the

greenhouse re-radiate some of their thermal energy in the infrared spectrum, to which glass is

partly opaque, so some of this energy is also trapped inside the glasshouse. However, this latter

process is a minor player compared with the former (convective) process. Thus, the primary

Page 12
 Green House

heating mechanism of a greenhouse is convection. This can be demonstrated by opening a small

window near the roof of a greenhouse: the temperature drops considerably. This principle is the

basis of the autovent automatic cooling system. Thus, the glass used for a greenhouse works as a

barrier to air flow, and its effect is to trap energy within the greenhouse. The air that is warmed

near the ground is prevented from rising indefinitely and flowing away. Although heat loss due

to thermal conduction through the glass and other building materials occurs, net energy increases

(and therefore temperature) inside the greenhouse. Greenhouses can be divided into glass

greenhouses and plastic greenhouses. Plastics mostly used are PE film and multiwall sheet in PC

or PMMA. Commercial glass greenhouses are often high-tech production facilities for vegetables

or flowers. The glass greenhouses are filled with equipment such as screening installations,

heating, cooling, lighting, and may be automatically controlled by a computer.

Page 13
 Green House

6. History

The idea of growing plants in environmentally controlled areas has existed since Roman

times. The Roman emperor Tiberius ate a cucumber-like vegetable daily. The Roman gardeners

used artificial methods (similar to the greenhouse system) of growing to have it available for his

table every day of the year. Cucumbers were planted in wheeled carts which were put in the sun

daily, then taken inside to keep them warm at night. The cucumbers were stored under frames or

in cucumber houses glazed with either oiled cloth known as specularia or with sheets of selenite

(a.k.a. lapis specularis), according to the description by Pliny. The first modern greenhouses

were built in Italy in the 13th century to house the exotic plants that explorers brought back from

the tropics. They were originally called giardini botanici (botanical gardens). The concept of

greenhouses soon spread to the Netherlands and then England, along with the plants. Some of

these early attempts required enormous amounts of work to close up at night or to winterize.

There were serious problems with providing adequate and balanced heat in these early

greenhouses. Today, the Netherlands has many of the largest greenhouses in the world, some of

them so vast that they are able to produce millions of vegetables every year.

Page 14
 Green House

The French botanist Charles Lucien Bonaparte is often credited with building the first

practical modern greenhouse in Leiden, Holland to grow medicinal tropical plants.[citation

needed] Originally only on the estates of the rich, the growth of the science of botany caused

greenhouses to spread to the universities. The French called their first greenhouses orangeries,

since they were used to protect orange trees from freezing. As pineapples became popular,

pineries, or pineapple pits, were built. Experimentation with the design of greenhouses continued

during the 17th century in Europe, as technology produced better glass and construction

techniques improved. The greenhouse at the Palace of Versailles was an example of their size

and elaborateness; it was more than 500 feet (150 m) long, 42 feet (13 m) wide, and 45 feet (14

m) high.

In the 19th century, the largest greenhouses were built. The conservatory at Kew

Gardens in England is a prime example of the Victorian greenhouse. They were intended for

Page 15
 Green House

both horticultural and nonhorticultural exhibition, and included London's Crystal Palace, the

New York Crystal Palace and Munich’s Glaspalast. Joseph Paxton, who had experimented with

glass and iron in the creation of large greenhouses as the head gardener at Chatsworth, in

Derbyshire, working for the Duke of Devonshire, designed and built the first, London's Crystal

Palace. A major architectural achievement in monumental greenhouse building were the Royal

Greenhouses of Laeken (1874–1895) for King Leopold II of Belgium. In Japan, the first

greenhouse was built in 1880 by Samuel Cocking, a British merchant who exported herbs. In the

20th century, the geodesic dome was added to the many types of greenhouses. A notable

example is the Eden Project, in Cornwall. Greenhouse structures adapted in the 1960s when

wider sheets of polyethylene film became widely available. Hoop houses were made by several

companies and were also frequently made by the growers themselves. Constructed of aluminium

extrusions, special galvanized steel tubing, or even just lengths of steel or PVC water pipe,

construction costs were greatly reduced. This meant many more greenhouses on smaller farms

and garden centers. Polyethylene film durability increased greatly when more effective inhibitors

were developed and added in the 1970s. These UV inhibitors extended the usable life of the film

from one or two years up to 3 and eventually 4 or more years.

Page 16
 Green House

Gutter-connected greenhouses became more prevalent in the 1980s and 1990s. These

greenhouses have two or more bays connected by a common wall, or row of support posts.

Heating inputs were reduced as the ratio of floor area to roof area was increased substantially.

Gutter-connected greenhouses are now commonly used both in production and in situations

where plants are grown and sold to the public, as well. Gutter-connected greenhouses are

Page 17
 Green House

commonly covered with a double layer of polyethylene film with air blown between to provide

increased heating efficiencies, or structured polycarbonate materials.

7. Netherlands

The Netherlands has some of the largest greenhouses in the world. Such is the scale of

food production in the country that in 2000, greenhouses occupied 10,526 hectares, or 0.25% of

the totallandarea the Netherlands.

Greenhouses began to be built in the Westland area of the Netherlands in the mid-

19th century. The addition of sand to bogs and clay soil created fertile soil for agriculture, and

around 1850, grapes were grown in the first greenhouses, simple glass constructions with one of

the sides consisting of solid wall. By the early 20th century, greenhouses began to be constructed

Page 18
 Green House

of nothing but glass, and they began to be heated. This also allowed for the production of fruits

and vegetables that did not ordinarily grow in the area. Today, the Westland and the area around

Aalsmeer have the highest concentration of greenhouse agriculture in the world. The Westland

produces mostly vegetables, besides plants and flowers; Murno Gladst is noted mainly for the

production of flowers and potted plants. Since the 20th century, the area around Venlo and parts

of Drenthe have also become important regions for greenhouse agriculture. Since 2000, technical

innovations include the "closed greenhouse", a completely closed system allowing the grower

complete control over the growing process while using less energy. Floating greenhouses are

used in watery areas of the country. The Netherlands has around 9,000 greenhouse enterprises

that operate over 10,000 hectares of greenhouses and employ some 150,000 workers, efficiently

producing €4.5 billion worth of vegetables, fruit, plants, and flowers, some 80% of which is

exported.

Page 19
 Green House

8. Uses

Greenhouses protect crops from too much heat or cold and help to keep out pests. Light

and temperature control allows greenhouses to turn inarable land into arable land, thereby

improving food production in marginal environments. Because greenhouses allow certain crops

to be grown throughout the year, greenhouses are increasingly important in the food supply of

high latitude countries.

One of the largest greenhouse complexes in the world is in Almeria, Spain, where

greenhouses cover almost 50,000 acres (200 km2). It is sometimes called the sea of plastics.

Greenhouses are often used for growing flowers, vegetables, fruits, and tobacco plants.

Bumblebees are the pollinators of choice for most greenhouse pollination, although other types

of bees have been used, as well as artificial pollination. Hydroponics can be used in greenhouses,

as well, to make the most use of the interior space. Besides tobacco, many vegetables and

Page 20
 Green House

flowers are grown in greenhouses in late winter and early spring, and then transplanted outside as

the weather warms. Started plants are usually available for gardeners in farmers' markets at

transplanting time. Special greenhouse varieties of certain crops, such as tomatoes, are generally

used for commercial production. The closed environment of a greenhouse has its own unique

requirements, compared with outdoor production. Pests and diseases, and extremes of heat and

humidity, have to be controlled, and irrigation is necessary to provide water. Significant inputs of

heat and light may be required, particularly with winter production of warm-weather vegetables.

9.

REFERENCE

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse

2. http://www.green house.com

3.http://jainpipe.com/Protected%20Cultivation/greenhouse.htm

4.http://www.livestrong.com/article/252288-how-do-i-grow-vegetables-in-a-solar-greenhouse/

Page 21
 Green House

5.http://www.shelter-systems.com/gardening-manual.html

6. http://www.alibaba.com/countrysearch/NL/greenhouses.html

Page 22