Group of architecture students build prototype solar-powered greenhouse capable of growing food and producing energy without human assistance

Students in Spain have developed a greenhouse capable of producing solar energy and generating its own food. The project is just a prototype and there are already projections that a greenhouse 10 times larger will be developed.

In the 19th century, the popularization of greenhouses innovated the way food was grown and currently, greenhouses can maintain constant temperatures throughout the year, being ideal for food to be grown in places with a more severe and not so favorable climate. Their only problem is that they use a lot of energy. With that in mind, a group of architecture students from the Spanish city of Barcelona, ​​developed a prototype of a greenhouse capable of producing solar energy, growing your own food.

Understand how the solar powered greenhouse works

The solar greenhouse developed by the students was installed in the Sierra de Collserola Natural Park and was built with pine wood, quite common in the region. The environment has 12 square meters and is located on a small plot of land next to a self-sufficient habitat research center called Valldaura Labs.

Although the greenhouse capable of producing solar energy is located in a green area, the concept can be built on urban rooftops and terraces and refugee camps, where there is a great shortage of food and electricity.

The greenhouse was created during a master's program at Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). Students resided on campus for a year and developed the two-story solar-powered environment. It took the students just two months to build the prototype. The execution of the project was led by architects Daniel Ibáñez and Vicente Guallart.

Architect writes book on self-sufficiency

In 2014, Vicente Guallart wrote a book known as “The Self-sufficient City”. At the time, he was the city's chief architect and advocated that buildings should be more productive and that Barcelona should produce energy and food autonomously locally.

In many ways, the greenhouse that generates solar energy is an interpretation of Vicente Guallart's philosophy. The structure of the environment, created by the students, is divided into two floors: the plants germinate on the bottom floor and continue to grow upstairs.

To contribute to capturing sunlight during the day, a glass roof was built, while UV and LED light contribute to the production of lettuce, eggplant and tomatoes at night.

The roof features solar energy panels in a checkerboard pattern, while the front and back windows can be opened for natural ventilation. A nutrient-enhanced irrigation system also helps boost plant growth inside the solar greenhouse.

Students plan to build solar greenhouse 10 times bigger

Both the LED panels and the irrigation system are powered by solar energy panels. The greenhouse only uses about half of the energy it generates, which has left the other half for other nearby Valldaura Labs facilities. Guallart claims that it would be possible to cover the entire roof with solar panels and still have 75% of the energy left over, however, financial reasons made this difficult.

In September last year, the prototype capable of producing energy was completed and the team is already designing a greenhouse that can be 10 times larger, which will be installed on the roof of the tallest wooden building in Barcelona. For students, the main objective is to develop communities that can grow their own food and produce their own energy.