Abstract
This study is to eliminate the need for conventional high density plant factory's artificial light source such as LED to reduce the initial investment of the light source installation as well as the operation cost. Use of solar light could enhance the quality of the vegetables similar to those grown in the natural environment. Provision of solar light into the multilayer vegetable cultivation facilities and collecting maximum and sustainable sunlight without too much loss by tracing solar path and properly distributing it through careful control during daytime are crucial for realizing the investigated rooftop light shelf system for multi-layered vegetable cultivation. In this study, we developed an innovative way of effectively allocating sunlight inside even to otherwise shaded zone of a multi-layer vegetable cultivation facility. To prove the effectiveness of the system's sunlight collection and distribution capability, both simulation and experiment in Daejeon are performed and the outcome is analyzed.
