A Solar Greenhouse - what is it?I'm always fascinated when people talk about a "solar greenhouse" as if it were something other than the greenhouses we all know and love. Perhaps there is something else to it, but aren't all greenhouses "solar" in nature? I think so. I chuckle when I imagine that perhaps many used to think that greenhouses were places where you grow plants, and it was really neat that you could see what's "growing on" inside the structure. And, then it dawned on them that the whole clear glazing thing was related to the sun, and that solar gain was the key to all the warmth that leads to vegetable gardening success. Perhaps that's how the "solar" label got associated with greenhouses. In fairness to the "solar" greenhouse builders and providers out there, I recognize that if you only heat using the sun, then perhaps you have something that is solar powered. The term "passive" often goes along with the term "solar" to describe such a greenhouse. If that's the definition, then any enclosure that traps the sun and uses it to warm things up for vegetable gardening could be called a solar greenhouse. Isn't it really simply an unheated greenhouse or a hoop house or a garden tunnel? Just like a "rain event." Isn't it really just a fancy term used by someone who has taken an interest in precipitation in a given area and is providing a report to those of us who might care about it? Fancy terminology doesn't make a thing into something that it isn't. A solar heated greenhouse is simply a greenhouse without added heat. To me it's just a marketing ploy to associate greenhouses with our interest in solar power. Well, haven't greenhouses been solar powered right from the start? You bet they have! Talking about a solar greenhouse is like saying:
A quick review of how does a greenhouse work will point to the idea that greenhouses capture light and convert it to heat. So, there really isn't anything that distinguishes a "solar greenhouse" from any other type of greenhouse. There are many methods of capturing solar energy for use in a greenhouse. Regardless of the methods, they apply to nearly every greenhouse, not just the "solar" ones. A quick look at basic greenhouse designs and solar collection methods will show you that there are a range of techniques for gathering the energy of the sun and using/storing it effectively in a greenhouse. A little research in this area will help you decide which methods are best for your situation. In the meantime, if you're in the market for a greenhouse to support your vegetable gardening interests, don't be enticed by the idea that one greenhouse is "solar" while another one isn't; they're all "solar" by their very nature, otherwise they wouldn't be called a greenhouse. Done with Solar Greenhouse, take me back to Greenhouses |