Students build solar greenhouse that produces energy

Traditional greenhouses typically use a ton of energy to work properly, but students in Catalonia have built a solar powered structure that creates energy rather than consuming it.

Who says greenhouses can’t adapt to modern energy needs?

First built in the nineteenth century, greenhouses are a nifty way to grow plants and produce our own flowers, but they usually use lots of energy to function.

Students in Barcelona have created a solution to this problem with a new, LED solar powered greenhouse that produces more energy than it needs. Now you can get your gardening game on and generate electricity, though it is only in the prototype stage.

Built from locally sourced pine timber, this 130-square-foot greenhouse is situated in Sierra de Collserola Natural Park and was developed during a master’s program at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. Try saying that three times fast.

While this prototype is a more traditional looking greenhouse, the core components can be recreated anywhere. This means that you could build this solar-powered structure on rooftops, in refugee camps, and anywhere else where basic needs such as food and energy can be hard to source.

All that’s well and good, but how does it work? This prototype has two floors, with plants first germinating on the lower level before growing out into the top area. It has an angled roof that captures sunlight during the day, while LED and UV lights are used for lettuces, tomatoes, and eggplants at night.