ERT3 AgroWeek – Energy Autonomous Greenhouse

What the crop sees

Plants do not use the solar spectrum evenly. Photosynthesis draws mostly on the blue and red bands, leaving other wavelengths comparatively idle from the plant's point of view. That unevenness is the opening semi-transparent photovoltaics work in.

A cell tuned to absorb where the crop is least sensitive takes energy the plant was not going to use. The result is not free — some loss is unavoidable — but it is far smaller than the shading an opaque panel of the same area would cast.