Solar cells in perovskite on the roofs of the greenhouses with the dual purpose of producing electricity From the sun while, below, it is cultivated: the results of this innovative experiment, carried out as part of the ‘Vertigrow’ research project of the National Research Council, are reported in the magazine Nature Communications. The research, led by Alessandra Alberti of the Institute for Microelectronics and microsystems of National Research Council of Catania (CNR-IMM), was conducted in collaboration with colleagues and colleagues of the Institute for Sustainable Protection of Plants (CNR-IPSP) National Research Council of Turin and of the Institute of Biosciences and Biorisorsi (CNR-IBBR) National Council of Research of Bari, demonstrating that these cells can coexist with the growth of the radicchio, and by opening new perspectives for a more sustainable and integrated agriculture with energy with energy solar.
Composition and operation
“The work – explains Alberti (CNR -IMM) – developed starting from the idea that the use of Semi-transparent solar cells of Perovskitewhich can be used to convert sunlight into electricity, it could represent a solution to integrate agriculture and energy production. The electricity produced, in fact, is sufficient for the energy needs of the greenhouses linked to air conditioning, lighting, irrigation and monitoring systems of plants “.
Prototype and test
Thus was made a prototype On a laboratory scale in order to examine the growth of radicchio plants for 15 days in the light filtered by a roof of perovskite panels: the differences in the growth of the seedlings were accompanied by an analysis of gene expression, in order to verify the plant response to sunlight filtered by the Perovskite panel. “The results – he adds Raffaella Balestrini, researcher of the Cnr-Ibbr – have shown an improved germinability and larger leaves, revealing only small differences in the transcriptomic profile in the two conditions: this suggests an adaptation of the seedlings to growth below perovskite. In fact, a different expression of a few genes related to the environmental stressthe adjustment of growth and the perception of light in the seedlings grown under the solar cells of Perovskite. Further research is certainly needed to better explore the impact on the yield of crops and agricultural production, but the results obtained suggest a potential for the use of solar cells in Perovskite in vertical agriculture: in fact, in fact, photovoltaic greenhouses in Perovskite would produce sufficient energy to cover the needs for heating, cooling and lighting “.
Future perspectives
The positive results of the experimentation open potentially very vast application scenarios, ranging from the Arrivoltaic vertical agriculture (vertical farming), up to the creation of self-sufficient energy-food systems In both rural and citizens contexts, in line with the European climate-neutral and smart cities mission. The study is the result of the CNR ‘Vertigrow’ project, which involved several research institutes in an interdisciplinary dialogue on the topics of energy needs and food needs for a sustainable near future.