Integrating Commercial Greenhouses in the Smart Grid with Demand Response based Control of Supplemental Lighting

In Northern Europe the production of ornamental pot plants in greenhouses requires use of supplemental light, as light is a restricting climatic factor for growth from late autumn until early spring. By participating in demand response programs such as real-time pricing, growers can schedule electricity consumption in hours where electricity prices are low, thus achieving savings in their electricity expenses. In this context we present a novel software system for dynamic control of supplemental lighting in greenhouses that aims at decreasing the electricity costs and energy consumption without loss in productivity. The software uses weather forecasts and electricity prices together with a photosynthesis model to compute energy and costefficient supplemental light plans, which fulfills the productivity goal defined by the grower. Experiments with different light control strategies revealed that electricity savings about 25% was possible without noticeable reductions in plant flowering and production time.