Thermal modeling of greenhouse integrated semi-transparent photovoltaic thermal (GiSPVT) for sustainable aquaculture production: an experimental validation

Temperature is the primary factor affecting the growth and survival of aquatic species. At low temperatures, the metabolic rate decreases significantly. As a result, energy levels and growth rates in fish slow down which reduces the overall aquaculture production. Therefore, a novel thermal model of GiSPVT in terms of design and climatic parameters has been developed. An analytical expression for fishpond temperature and electrical energy has been derived and validated using the special case of the proposed GiSPVT for a particular day. The solar radiation passing through the non-packing area of the semi-transparent PV modules was used to heat the water to maintain the desired temperature. However, for experimental validation, the growth performance of Labeo rohita (26.15 +/- 2.4 g) was cultured (90 days) with different conditions: T1(bgl), T2(agl) (inside the greenhouse), T3(bgl), T4(agl) (outside the greenhouse). Specific growth rate (SGR), average weight and weight gain of fishes were significantly higher (p < .05) in the T1(bgl) group as compared to other groups. Moreover, the SGR was observed 32.6%, 20.2%, and 14.0%, higher in the T4(agl) as compared to T2(agl), T3(bgl), and T4(agl) respectively. Significantly increased growth performance of T1(bgl) group during winter may be due to the combined effect of geothermal and solar energy integrated systems.