Photon management heightens the energy use efficiency of greenhouses through the integration of photovoltaic systems and supplemental lighting

Photovoltaic greenhouses can help address food and energy demands. At present, the challenges facing photovoltaic greenhouses include optimizing shade to establish a balance between energy and food production and overcoming uneven lighting. In this research, a novel greenhouse named the light management photovoltaic greenhouse (LMPG) is designed to augment photosynthesis via photon management. A mathematical model for evaluating the photon absorption potential in LMPG is introduced, which reveals the potential for medium- and low-light crop species to absorb 1.8 times the number of photons in LMPG compared with a conventional greenhouse. The cultivation experiment results revealed that the uniformity of the daily light integral reached over 0.95 with an average light transmittance of the ES plate of 77.2 %. Moreover, the yield of lettuce reached 2164.25 g m−2 in this system, 159 % greater than that of conventional agricultural films. This system improves radiation use efficiency (RUE) by at least 72 % compared to conventional greenhouses. In addition, the electricity generated by the photovoltaic system could fully cover the electricity required for supplemental lighting, which accomplished an energy-self consumption model. This system provides an approach for improving the utilization of solar energy in greenhouses and increasing land productivity.