Launching ‘eXtreme green’

When you hear the name NASA, it probably conjures celestial images of floating astronauts and nostalgic memories of space shuttles hurtling toward the stars. It does not call to mind greenhouses and solar panels.

But that’s exactly what the NASA Glenn Research Center’s GreenLab in Cleveland is experimenting with. Dr. Bilal Bomani, senior research scientist at Glenn, says his greenhouse structure is dedicated to being “eXtreme green,” meaning it is attempting to create a sustainable, alternative, and renewable energy ecosystem.
 

Getting rid of Dino Juice

Bomani is studying halophytes, like Salicornia virginica, and trying to adapt them to various ecological climates, molding them into a sort-of plant Swiss army knife, capable of use as a biofuel, and as food for both humans and cattle. The plants can also be used in land remediation.

“If you live along the coastline, in say Sub-Saharan Africa, you could have a food and fuel source right in your backyard,” Bomani says.

He’s hoping that his research can provide “eXtreme green” solutions to a bevy of global problems including the dwindling supply of fossil fuels (which Bomani playfully calls Dino Juice) and global food shortages.

But the catalyst for the GreenLab’s creation was alternative aviation fuels and Bomani regularly fields questions about why he’s growing halophytes and developing the plants as a possible cure for the world’s ills.

“The world needs it. We shifted our focus away from just aviation fuels, because we think we can solve the world’s problems,” he says. And why shouldn’t NASA concern itself with the ills of the globe?

However, Bomani’s research has also turned over a few key innovations that commercial greenhouse growers could be implementing right now to cut costs and streamline operations. He broke it down into three main categories: an evaporative cooling system, automated moving grow lights, and alternative energy options.
 

Cool off

The evaporative cooling system is a natural alternative to traditional air conditioning. In some homes, replacing AC units with evaporative cooling can reduce electricity consumption by 80 percent; imagine what it can do in a commercial greenhouse. Here’s how it works. After you take a hot shower and jump out without a towel, your body is immediately confronted with a blast of cool air. The transition of liquid water (on your body) into water vapor cools the surrounding air and decreases the temperature.

To recreate this effect, the GreenLab sports a back wall of filters (resembling intricately linked metal chains) which are constantly carrying water. When Bomani wants to cool the GreenLab he shuts off the heat and activates two fans, which pull in air from outside the greenhouse. The fans then blow through the filters, converting liquid water into water vapor, causing a natural cool in the greenhouse.

“This method utilizes a simple water pump recalculating system and recyclable mesh material to allow the water to cascade down to a reservoir. The use of evaporative cooling provides many benefits over an air conditioning system by saving on energy bills and providing additional moisture and humidity to an environment,” he says. The back half of the facility almost immediately experiences a noticeable drop in temperature, which then spreads to the front.

Bomani says the natural cooling system is effective as long as temperatures remain under 120 degrees, a high that is rarely reached in Cleveland. If growers were to implement evaporative cooling in place of traditional air conditioning, the cost savings, particularly in the Northeast U.S., could be sizable.
 

Mirroring Mother Nature

Installing automated moving grow lights was a necessity for Bomani’s research. The NASA Glenn team wants to test the growing ability of halophytes in various regions, ranging from Arizona deserts to Northeastern beaches. To do that they created seven glass growing tanks that feature different water depths, salinity levels, sand, and living creatures (effectively replicating a variety of environments). The team alters which halophyte they are growing in the tank in an attempt to locate the best fit. Bomani and his team also needed to replicate (as best they could) natural light.

Almost every greenhouse uses artificial lighting, but most lights are in stationary fixtures which limit the type of light available to growing plants. The Green Lab’s lights are situated on a moving track, which allows the lights to move gradually from one side of a growing bed to the other, casting indirect and direct light over all the plants, mimicking a natural outdoor environment. While the moving track may represent a significant initial expense, Bomani believes that the returns will eventually outweigh the expenses.

“A commercial greenhouse wants to cut all the costs they can. But, over time, you’re going to say ‘Rats! Why am I not getting optimal growth? Well, if you had a light mover all of your plants would be getting the same requisite amount of energy,” Bomani says. This in turn could lead to increased yields and increased profits.

The moving track will also reduce the number of lights that a grower will need. Two moving lights are just as useful as eight stationary lights.

“In our GreenLab ecosystems, we utilize a light moving system with two Metal Halide (MH) lights versus using eight MH lights. A light moving system costs about the same as a standard MH light fixture,” he says.
 

Harnessing the wind and sun

Bomani says that the GreenLab, which is somewhat famous for practicing the philosophy known as “eXtreme Green,” advocates a multipronged system of conservation and research. Unsurprisingly, one of the tenets of this system is the use of alternative energy.

The facility uses a combination of wind and solar energy. On the grounds surrounding the greenhouse are a series of two wind turbines and 10 solar panels, which provide about two hours, or five kilowatts, of energy to the facility daily. Bomani says the goal is to increase that number, doubling the alternative energy hours to four.

Because the facility is in cloudy temperamental Cleveland, the GreenLab requires the use of multiple alternative energy sources. If a greenhouse were located in Florida, the use of wind energy might be redundant because solar energy would be available nearly yearround. To power the GreenLab though, Bomani must mix and match.

Installing alternative energy sources takes careful planning and a good chunk of time. The facility installed 10 solar panels on the back of the facility in about one week and tied the additional energy directly to their MicroGrid, which took an additional three days. The lab also added two wind turbine systems to the GreenLab’s MicroGrid, which took approximately one month to install and connect.

“Both of our alternative energy sources were installed after the GreenLab was constructed to save on energy and to prove the feasibility of our self-sustainable renewable energy ecosystem concept,” Bomani says.

As he looks to supplement existing energy levels, Bomani has his eye on a field of solar panels that were originally constructed for the space station, and are located across the street from his facility. The field of solar panels has been dormant for 25 years. If he gets permission to reactivate the panels and connect them to the lab he would be able to generate 22 kilowatts of energy per day, enough to give energy back to the grid. Alternative energy can cut back on greenhouse energy costs over time. It may even allow you to sell energy back into the grid, providing an additional source of income.

“Wind turbines and solar panels when done correctly, can provide on-demand power throughout the day, provided you make your pumps and pistons correctly,” he says.

NASA’s “eXtreme Green” innovations and cost saving tactics can decrease your energy footprint while increasing your bottom line, helping you make some extreme green in the process.

To check out video content from Greenhouse Management’s visit to NASA Glenn’s ExtremeGreen Lab, www.greenhousemag.com/media