What Are the Differences between Glass Greenhouses and Solar Panel Greenhouses?

In the application of agricultural greenhouses, glass and PC solar panels are two common materials. So what are the characteristics of the glass greenhouse and the PC solar panel greenhouse? Which material should be used in practical applications?

Polycarbonate sheet, also known as PC sunshine sheet, is made of polycarbonate polymer using advanced formula and the latest extrusion technology. PC boards are divided into polycarbonate door panels, polycarbonate sunshade roofing sheets, tinted polycarbonate roof panels, etc. according to their uses.

According to its structure, PC boards are mostly divided into twin-wall polycarbonate sheets, triple wall polycarbonate panels and polycarbonate multiwall sheets.

First, we first understand the light transmittance. Plants need light to photosynthesize and ensure growth. Therefore, the light transmittance of the material is very important. The general glass greenhouse has an excellent light transmittance, which is about 90% or more. The light transmittance of PC sunlite greenhouse panels can reach up to 89%, which is almost the same as glass. High enough light transmittance allows both to ensure that the plants in the greenhouse enjoy sufficient light.

But at the point of light transmittance, what has to be mentioned is the anti-fog drop function. The light transmittance of glass is indeed higher than that of PC sunshine flag board. But that is only the theoretical data comparing the two materials. In the actual application of the greenhouse, the indoor humidity is higher than that of the outdoor. Moist air will condense on the top of the greenhouse to form water droplets, which will reflect sunlight, which will reduce the light transmittance of the greenhouse drastically. In this case, the light transmittance of the glass itself has no advantage, and the dripping of water droplets will damage the plants below. The PC solar panel with anti-fog drop function can divert water droplets to both sides to ensure the light transmittance inside the greenhouse.

Furthermore, what is the thermal insulation performance of the greenhouse? One of the major functions of the greenhouse is to maintain a relatively warm environment inside the greenhouse to achieve the effect of protecting the stability of the environment for plant growth. At this point, the thermal insulation performance of PC solar panels should be more prominent. The heat transfer coefficient of traditional single-layer glass is between 5.6-6 W/m2°C, while the heat transfer coefficient of PC solar panels is only 3-3.9 W/m2°C. The thermal insulation effect of PC solar panels is 7%-25% higher than that of glass of the same thickness. The thermal insulation of PC sun panels can be as high as 49%. This feature greatly reduces the heat loss inside the greenhouse and better maintains the stability of the temperature conditions.

In addition, what are the requirements for greenhouses to resist impact strength? Plants have no resistance to natural disasters such as hail and blizzard. Therefore, greenhouses must isolate them from external shocks. However, as we all know, the impact strength of glass is relatively low. In the face of hail attack, glass greenhouses are likely to be broken. Once broken, it will cause serious damage to plants and personnel. The impact strength of PC solar panels is 250-300 times that of ordinary glass and 2-20 times that of tempered glass. The super impact resistance makes polycarbonate conservatory roof panels able to withstand the damage of hail, pressure, typhoon and other weather, and protect the safety of plants and personnel.

The specific gravity of PC sunshine board is only half of the same glass.