JPH09322661A - Apparatus for growing plant - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for growing plants capable of remarkably enhancing the utilization ratio of solar energy and realizing a reduction in cost of field crops by embedding an outer electrolytic bath of a solution type secondary battery capable of accumulating electric power generated by a solar cell in the interior of a culture medium for the cultivation of the plants in a greenhouse. SOLUTION: This apparatus for growing plants is equipped with an agricultural greenhouse 1, a solar cell 30 installed separately from the agricultural greenhouse 1 and a solution type secondary battery 31 capable of accumulating electric power generated by the solar cell 30 such as a redox flow battery. An outer electrolytic bath 7 of the solution type secondary battery 31 is embedded in the interior of a culture medium 5 for the cultivation of the plants in the agricultural greenhouse 1 to thereby suppress the mass consumption of a conventional line electric power or fossil fuel. The solar cell 31 is preferably integrally formed with the solution type secondary battery 31 and an electrolyte in the interior of the solution type secondary battery 31 is preferably made to flow by the heat convection.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plant growth apparatus which makes maximum use of pollution-free solar energy and obtains most or all of the energy required for plant growth from sunlight.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order for all plants including agricultural products to grow, an environment suitable for each type is required. For example, sunshine (intensity, time), temperature, humidity, atmospheric components, pressure, moisture, fertilizer, ventilation, etc. must be maintained at appropriate values.

Conventionally, hydroponic cultivation, greenhouse cultivation, greenhouse cultivation, indoor cultivation and the like have been widely carried out in order to promote the growth and increase the production of useful plants under artificially controlled environments. Many of these cultivations are equipped with an air conditioner for keeping the ambient temperature of the plant at a desired value, and this air conditioner consumes a huge amount of energy. Therefore, not only will the price of harvested crops rise, but the harmful effects of burning a large amount of fossil fuel will also occur.

Therefore, as a means for avoiding the above-mentioned harmful effects to some extent, attempts have been made to cover a part of the electric power used by a solar power generation system using a solar cell.
Furthermore, since the power generation system using this solar cell alone is inherently unstable, in order to assist this and construct a stable and reliable power source, a charging system using lead-acid batteries should be used for equipment independent of grid power. It is also widely used in combination with solar cells.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, due to the low energy density and low energy conversion efficiency that are inevitably associated with solar power generation, the ratio of existing grid power and fossil fuel that can be replaced is limited. It is extremely small, and thus the depreciation rate per unit period is small even though the initial cost for installing the solar power generation system is relatively large.

Further, the lead storage battery is relatively inexpensive and simple, but on the other hand, the performance of each cell varies widely. It is difficult to monitor the charge / discharge status during combined use. It takes a long time to charge. The electrodes are easily deteriorated. There are drawbacks such as.

[0007] In view of the above, the present invention is a plant cultivating apparatus capable of reducing the price of agricultural crops by maximizing the utilization efficiency of solar energy and obtaining a more efficient and economical power source. The purpose is to provide.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an agricultural house, a solar cell installed separately from the agricultural house, and a solution type for storing electric power generated by the solar cell. A plant growing apparatus comprising a secondary battery, and an external electrolytic solution tank of the solution type secondary battery is embedded inside a medium for cultivating a plant in the house.

In such a structure, the solar energy converted into electricity by the solar cell is efficiently stored as chemical energy in the external electrolytic solution tank of the solution type secondary battery which is covered with the medium and kept warm. Therefore, the temperature of the electrolytic solution is maintained, the stable operation of the solution type secondary battery is ensured, and the effective use of solar energy can be achieved.
By using this as needed, it is easy to build an independent system that does not require an external power source, and contributes to lowering the cost of agricultural products.

The invention according to claim 2 is the plant growing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the solar cell and the solution type secondary battery are integrally formed. In addition to the electrical energy, the thermal energy stored as sensible heat in the electrolytic solution of the solution type secondary battery can also be stored in the external electrolytic cell, and further improvement in efficiency can be expected.

The invention described in claim 3 is the plant growing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a redox flow battery is used as the solution type secondary battery. The invention according to claim 4 is the plant growth apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrolytic solution is caused to flow by thermal convection inside the solution-type secondary battery. The operation of the secondary battery is further stabilized, and the efficiency is further improved. As a method of causing heat convection, there is a method of providing a heater inside and providing upper and lower reflux tubes inside the solution type secondary battery.

The invention according to a fifth aspect is characterized in that the external electrolytic solution tank is provided with a heater for heating the electrolytic solution by the electric power of the solar cell and / or the solution type secondary battery. Since it is the plant growth apparatus according to Item 1, the surplus power is converted into heat energy according to the conditions and stored,
Alternatively, it can be used to further improve efficiency.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a control device for controlling the environmental condition based on a detection value of a sensor for detecting the environmental condition inside the agricultural house. The plant growth apparatus according to claim 1. As a result, the environmental conditions of the agricultural house can be automatically converted into those suitable for plant growth, and growth can be promoted while saving labor.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the control device has a function of determining whether the surplus electric power generated by the solar cell is stored in the form of thermal energy or electrochemical energy. Since it is the plant growing apparatus according to claim 6, various conditions such as the weather condition and the amount of stored electricity at that time are automatically judged, and the most efficient energy storage form is selected.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment shows an example in which most of the energy required to operate the house is obtained from sunlight by applying it to the house cultivation.

This agricultural house 1 is surrounded by a side wall 2 having a heat insulating property, a translucent roof 3 and a floor plate 4 and has a structure having a high heat insulating property. The contact heat conduction and heat transfer due to convection are suppressed to the utmost limit.

A necessary amount of culture medium 5 is introduced into the agricultural house 1, and an external electrolytic solution tank 7 having an electric resistance heating element (heater) 6 enclosed therein is embedded in the culture medium 5. As a result, the culture medium 5 serves as a heat insulating material to keep the external electrolytic solution tank 7 warm.

In addition, equipment for air conditioning, heat retention, ventilation, water sprinkling, lighting, etc. necessary for plant cultivation is provided in the room of the agricultural house 1. That is, an air conditioning unit 12 for heating, blowing, humidifying and dehumidifying, including an air conditioning pump 10 and an air conditioning outlet 11, a drain water pump 13, and a purification device 1.
4 is provided and the drain water reservoir 1 is installed at the bottom of the medium 5.
A sprinkler 16 and a lighting device 17 for ejecting the drain water stored in FIG. Further, temperature monitors 20 and 21 are arranged in the room and the external electrolytic solution tank 7, and wetness monitors 22 and 23 are arranged in the room and the medium 5.

On the other hand, outside the agricultural house 1, a solar cell array 30 that uses the collected energy (heat and electricity) for air conditioning, ventilation, water sprinkling, lighting, etc., has an inclination angle of 60 ° toward the south. It is installed in. This solar cell array 30
On the back side of the solar cell 30, there is a redox flow battery 31 as a solution type secondary battery that assists the power generation system by the solar cell 30 to form a stable and reliable power source.
It is equipped with. This body structure was previously filed by the applicant as 1995 Patent Application No. 349251.

The redox flow battery 31 is provided with positive and negative electrode plates arranged to face each other, and is charged and discharged by a redox reaction of an electrolytic solution introduced inside. Liquid 32 is liquid circulation pump 33
It is configured to be introduced into the external electrolytic solution tank 7 via the.

A main controller 34 for controlling the solar cell array 30 and the redox flow battery 31 based on the signals from the temperature monitors 20 and 21 and the wetness monitors 22 and 23 is provided.

With such a power source configuration, the solar cell 30
The heat received and the generated electric power are used for the necessary air conditioning, ventilation, water sprinkling, lighting, etc. each time, and the solar heat and the solar cell 30 generate most of the energy source necessary for plant cultivation in the plant house 1. It can be covered by the electricity that is consumed. The surplus energy is stored in the electrolytic solution 32 of the redox flow battery 31 in the form of chemical (electrical) energy and thermal energy, and when heat reception or power generation function declines (night, cloudy weather, stormy weather, etc.) Preparing for

The storage as chemical energy is to store the electric power from the solar cell in the form of chemical energy by the chemical change of the original electrolyte solution 32 of the redox flow battery 31. On the other hand, in order to store it as thermal energy, the electrolytic solution 32 heated and heated by the external solar heat is introduced into the external electrolytic solution tank 7 via the circulation pump 33. The electric resistance heating element 6 is energized with the electric power generated by the solar power generation to generate heat to raise the temperature of the electrolytic solution 32. Etc. As a result, which form of energy is to be stored is selected based on the surrounding climatic conditions so that the energy loss is minimized.

For example, the electrolytic solution 32 used in the redox flow battery 31 has better operating efficiency as a power storage device when kept at a high temperature, but if kept too high, the amount of heat escaping to the outside increases and the efficiency decreases. . For example, it would be most efficient to control so that the set temperature in the external electrolytic solution tank 7 is constantly maintained at about 50 ° C. or higher.

Here, a type in which a solar cell and a redox flow cell are integrally combined is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the solar cell and the redox flow cell are not limited to this.
It goes without saying that the flow battery and the flow battery may be independent types and electrically connected to each other.

As described above, the redox flow battery 31 is used in place of the conventional lead storage battery in order to assist the power generation device using the solar cell, so that a charging system having very little variation in performance between cells can be provided. As a result, it is possible to form a highly rechargeable and economical charging type. It is possible to easily monitor the charging / discharging status and depth during combined use, so it is easy to avoid an emergency. Since the electrode material does not deteriorate, maintenance costs can be reduced. Emergency charging is possible by updating the electrolyte, so it is easy to deal with emergencies. It is possible to configure a system having the advantage of.

As described above, by increasing the heat insulation of the plant cultivation device and using or storing the energy from the sun as needed, the utilization efficiency of pollution-free energy can be maximized, and the conventional method can be used. Since it is possible to suppress a large amount of system power and fossil fuel consumption, ordinary costs for plant cultivation can be significantly reduced.

Next, the electric system in the agricultural house 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, of the energy from the sun, the portion taken out in the form of electric power by the solar cell 30 is controlled by the main controller 34 to generate the heating element 6, the air conditioning pump 10, the air conditioning unit 12, the lighting fixture. 1
7, liquid circulation pump 33 and sprinkler system (drain water pump 1
3, supplied to the purification device 14 and the sprinkler 16) 35, and used to maintain the environment in the agricultural house 1.

Then, the surplus portion is charged and stored by charging the redox flow battery 31. Further, of the solar energy, the thermal energy is obtained by heating the temperature of the electrolytic solution 32 via the circulation pump 33 to the external electrolytic solution tank 7
It is preserved by introducing it inside. If there is a surplus in the electric power generated by the solar power generation, the electric resistance heating element 6 is energized with this electric power to generate heat and the temperature of the electrolytic solution 32 is raised.

In this way, the redox flow battery 3
The energy stored in 1 is released by the main controller 34 by the required amount when the amount of power generation is insufficient, such as at night, in cloudy weather, rainy weather, and stormy weather. As a result, in the agricultural house 1, while constantly monitoring the temperature, humidity, and wet state of the indoor air and the medium 5, various devices and equipment are operation-controlled so that these values fall within appropriate ranges.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a pipeline system relating to air blowing and liquid feeding for the agricultural house 1. As described above, the thermal energy from the sun is absorbed in the form of temperature rise and chemical change of the electrolyte solution 32 of the redox flow battery 31,
It is stored in the external electrolyte bath 7 as the liquid circulation pump 33 is driven. In this case, necessary temperature control is performed so that the temperature of the electrolytic solution 32 is usually about 50 ° C. or higher. Since the power storage performance of the redox flow battery 31 is better at 50 ° C. or higher than at room temperature, it is highly efficient to store the electrolyte (charge / discharge) by keeping the electrolyte solution at a high temperature as described above. It is also convenient to do (including).

Therefore, by using the high temperature electrolyte solution 32 stored in the external electrolyte solution tank 7 as a heat source, the water flowing in the air conditioning unit 12 when the air conditioning pump 33 is driven is changed into the high temperature electrolyte solution 3.
It is heated at 2, and the temperature of the air introduced into the room is adjusted by this heated water.

On the other hand, the drain water collected in the drain water reservoir 15 is driven by the drain water pump 13 to purify the drain water.
After being purified in 4, it is ejected from the sprinkler 16, passes through the medium 5, and is stored again in the drain water reservoir 15.

When the stirring, flow, swinging and / or circulation of the electrolytic solution can be performed by other means without using the circulation pump, these means may be used.
For example, if the convection can be replaced by thermal convection (utilization of temperature difference) by properly arranging the equipment,
The use of a circulation pump can be omitted.

All the energy required to operate these piping systems is obtained from sunlight. Note that energy required for other than air conditioning (mainly heat retention) such as lighting and water sprinkling is 1/10 to 1/30 or less as compared with that required for air conditioning, and is ignored here.

Next, the energy balance when the above embodiment is used for actual cultivation will be described with reference to examples. In this example, the floor area of the agricultural house 1 is 454m
^{At 2} , a part of the electric power generated by the solar cell 30 is used as it is to pass through the main controller 34 in the agricultural house 1 to heat the heater 6 in the external electrolytic solution tank 7 installed in the medium 5.

The heat generated by this is transmitted to the heat medium (electrolyte solution 32 of the redox flow battery), which is further transferred to the air conditioning unit 12 by the air conditioning pump 10 in the agricultural house 1.
Sent to and maintained at room temperature. Then, the redox flow battery 31 in which surplus power is combined with the solar battery 30 is stored by being charged (chemical reaction of the electrolytic solution 32), and stored in a cloudy weather, stormy weather, non-sunshine such as nighttime, or the solar battery. In case of malfunction, etc., discharge is made as necessary.

Further, the solar cell array 30 is exposed to solar radiation.
The temperature also rises, but this is maintained at the required temperature by the cooling action of the electrolytic solution 32 of the redox flow battery 31 provided integrally in contact with the solar cell 30. On the contrary, when the temperature of the electrolyte solution of the redox flow battery 31 rises by a considerable amount, thermal energy is stored and stored.

1. Cultivation of vegetables Using the above-mentioned Agricultural House 1, long onions and spinach are cultivated in the autumn and winter of October to February. The area of the solar cell array 30 is 100 m ² (10 kWp if the cell conversion efficiency is 10%).
Equivalent to). In this case, the room temperature can always be kept at 5 ° C or higher even in the severe cold season without sunlight, and at 18 ° C during the day.
And, if there is more solar radiation, it is more than that. Moreover, the underground temperature is kept at 15 to 20 ° C. or higher.

Taking the specifications as shown in Table 1, the amount of power generation per month is 1 kW / m ² × 5% × 100 m ² × 4 h / day × 30 da.
y = 600kWh, which is the maximum required heat quantity 518.9
Well over kWh. Table 1 Specifications of agricultural houses (for vegetables) * Approximate value ───────────────── Total energy efficiency * 5% ────────────── ──── Solar constant * 1kW / m ² ───────────────── Average sunshine hours * 4h / day ──────────────── ── Solar cell power generation area 100m ² ─────────────────

2. Fruit cultivation Grape is cultivated in the winter-spring period of December to May using the above-mentioned agricultural house 1. The area of the solar cell array 30 is 1500
m ² (corresponding to 150 kWp when the cell conversion efficiency is 10%). In this case, the room temperature can be constantly maintained at 10 ° C. or higher even in the severe cold season without solar radiation, the temperature is 20 ° C. or higher during the daytime, and the temperature becomes higher if the solar radiation is present. Further, the underground temperature is maintained at 20 to 25 ° C or higher.

Taking the specifications as shown in Table 2, the power generation amount per month is 1 kW / m ² × 5% × 1500 m ² × 4 h / day × 30 day = 9.
Since it is 000 kWh, it will be 6 × 9000 kWh = 54,000 kWh in 6 months.

Table 2 Agricultural house specifications (for fruits) * Approximate value ───────────────── Total energy efficiency * 5% ─────────── ─────── Solar constant * 1 kW / m ² ───────────────── Average sunshine hours * 4 h / day ───────────── ───── Solar cell power generation area 1500m ² ──────────────────

It is considered that the amount of heat normally required for 6 months is 50,000 kWh, which is currently covered by burning kerosene. However, using the cultivation method of the present invention, the floor area of an agricultural house is about three times as large. If you install the solar cell, you can obtain the required energy without consuming kerosene at all.

As described above, by combining a solar cell and a redox flow battery as in the present invention, practical out-of-season plant cultivation is possible without using fossil fuel.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the solar energy converted into electricity by the solar cell is efficiently stored as chemical energy in the external electrolytic solution tank of the solution type secondary battery which is covered with the medium and kept warm, the electrolytic solution temperature is maintained. The stable operation of the solution type secondary battery can be ensured and the solar energy can be effectively used. By using the solar energy as needed, it becomes easy to build an independent system that does not require an external power source, and Contributes to cost reduction.

Further, by integrally forming the solar cell and the solution type secondary battery, in addition to the electric energy generated by the solar cell, the heat stored in the electrolytic solution of the solution type secondary battery as sensible heat. Energy can also be stored in the external electrolytic cell, and further improvement in efficiency can be expected. As a result, it is possible to maximize the utilization efficiency of pollution-free energy, suppress large-scale consumption of conventional system power and fossil fuels, and significantly reduce ordinary costs for plant cultivation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is likewise a flow chart of the electrical system.

FIG. 3 is likewise a conceptual diagram of a pipeline system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Agricultural House 5 Medium 6 Heater 7 External Electrolyte Tank 12 Air Conditioning Unit 16 Sprinkler 17 Lighting Equipment 30 Solar Cell 31 Redox Flow Battery (Solution Type Secondary Battery) 32 Electrolyte 34 Main Controller

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A solution type secondary battery comprising: an agricultural house, a solar cell installed separately from the agricultural house, and a solution type secondary battery for storing electric power generated by the solar cell. The plant growing apparatus, wherein the external electrolytic solution tank is embedded in the culture medium for plant cultivation in the house. 2. The plant growing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solar cell and the solution type secondary battery are integrally formed. 3. The plant growing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a redox flow battery is used as the solution type secondary battery. 4. The plant growing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrolytic solution is caused to flow by thermal convection inside the solution type secondary battery. 5. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the external electrolytic solution tank is provided with a heater for heating the electrolytic solution by the electric power of the solar cell and / or the solution type secondary battery. Growth equipment. 6. The plant according to claim 1, further comprising a control device that controls the environmental condition based on a detection value of a sensor that detects the environmental condition inside the agricultural house. Growth equipment. 7. The control device has a function of determining whether the surplus power generated by the solar cell is stored in the form of thermal energy or electrochemical energy. 6. The plant growth apparatus according to 6.