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Greenhouse effect

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dkf

dkf

Mechanical
Joined
Nov 23, 2001
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What materials other than glass could be used to build a greenhouse?
If cost of materials were not an issue, what materials ( resins?)would give maximum thermal efficiency.
TIA

DKF
 
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Pretty much anything that's transparent in the visible. TTFN
 
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Actually a greenhouse needs to transmit visible and short-IR solar wavelengths, and reflect the long-IR that's emitted by the contents of the greenhouse (usually peaks in the 8 micron range). Glass works great because its typically transmission cutoff is around 3 microns. For other materials, hunt around NREL's web site, or keyword-search on "solar absorptivity". Or look at the ratio of solar absorptivity to emissivity.

Biber Thermal Design
 
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