Operational energy savings in greenhouses by retrofitting covering plastics with photothermal antimony tin oxide nanocoating

Energy management in greenhouses is crucial as they demand high energy consumption to keep a desirable environment for products. In this study, a novel greenhouse covering coating is introduced based on photothermal plasmonic nanoparticles to reduce energy consumption in greenhouses. Antimony tin oxide nanoparticles were used as plasmonic nanoparticles and were deposited on polyethylene greenhouse coverings. Thermal and optical properties of the antimony tin oxide-coated covering were characterized, and a comprehensive seasonal greenhouse energy analysis was performed to investigate the energy performance of the developed greenhouse covering. The photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) transmittance of the developed covering is 0.746, and the PAR-to-Solar-Transmittance (PST) value increased about 75% by the new covering. Based on the results, developed greenhouse covering with photothermal plasmonic nanoparticles drops greenhouse heating load by 70% and reduces total greenhouse energy consumption up to 49% in very cold climates. Antimony Tin Oxide nanocoating itself increases greenhouse energy saving by 11.4% in comparison with uncoated-double-layer polyethylene covering. Greenhouse energy savings in this study were achieved without any compromise in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and crop growth. A greenhouse covering utilization guideline is provided for each climate zone based on the results of this study to optimize the energy use in the greenhouse. This study opens a new window to innovative material applications in greenhouses to make greenhouses more sustainable and energy-efficient.