The Technical and Economic Study of a Solar System for Heating Greenhouses in the South of Kerman

In this study, technical and economical potential of using solar energy for heating cucumber greenhouses in Jiroft region were studied. For this purpose, the climatic suitability of the region was determined. According to the data and thermal requirement of greenhouse, capacity of a flat panel solar water heater was calculated and was compared with the conventional system, gasoil heater. The results of paired t-test showed that there was no significant difference between the two greenhouses in terms of CO2 content, average temperature and relative humidity, but there were significant differences in terms of chlorophyll content and yield between the two greenhouses, at the probability level of one and five percent, respectively. There was a significant difference, with a higher average of conventional system. The results of data analysis in Kamfar software showed that in terms of economic indicators, the use of solar water heaters for heating greenhouses in this area is justifiable in the fifth year and the return on investment is 5.32 years.