Growing chrysanthemums using solar power.

Chrysanthemums are a very common flower in Da Lat, the land of flowers. The greenhouses, brightly lit at night with tens of thousands of twinkling lights in the flower gardens, have become a distinctive feature of the highland flower industry.

The chrysanthemum garden is illuminated by a solar power system.

Growing chrysanthemums requires artificial lighting for 8 to 10 hours each night during their growth period. This is a mandatory technique because without lighting, the plants will only grow to 10-15 cm before flowering. Lighting at night helps the plants grow taller, elongating their stems to meet consumer standards. Therefore, the cost of electricity for lighting chrysanthemums is a significant expense for flower farmers. However, one farmer has successfully grown chrysanthemums using solar energy, completely eliminating their electricity bills.

Mr. Dinh Quang Trung, a farmer from Group 35, Lac Duong town, Lac Duong district, has been involved in chrysanthemum cultivation for many years. Mr. Trung is well aware of the chrysanthemum's need for nighttime lighting. Therefore, when building additional greenhouses for chrysanthemum cultivation, he calculated that the electricity costs were too high, impacting his income. And so, Mr. Dinh Quang Trung decided to change. In 2022, when constructing his chrysanthemum greenhouse system, instead of connecting to the national power grid and purchasing electricity from the power company, Mr. Trung proactively installed a rooftop solar power system directly on the greenhouse. This was a rather bold decision by the farmer, as no other farming household in the area had invested such a large sum of money in solar power.

After two years of cultivation, Mr. Dinh Quang Trung has confirmed that it is entirely possible to grow chrysanthemums using a solar power system. With an area of ​​4 sao (approximately 1,200 square meters) of greenhouse space, Mr. Trung installed 28 solar panels. The electricity is directly installed on the roof of the chrysanthemum greenhouse and stored in a battery storage unit located in the warehouse. When it gets dark, the system switches on, using electricity from the battery storage to power 450 lights illuminating the entire garden.

Mr. Bui Van Le, who directly cares for the chrysanthemum garden, said that for ordinary farmers, lighting and watering a chrysanthemum garden costs about 6-8 million VND per month. However, Mr. Dinh Quang Trung's garden has no electricity connected to the grid; the entire garden uses an independent rooftop solar power system. During the day, when there is sunlight, energy is stored in the battery storage system, and used at night. The garden's rooftop solar power system can both store and use energy throughout the day.

“Currently, the garden uses 450 light bulbs and a three-phase irrigation system. The solar power system is very sensitive; even with weak lighting, the storage system is still sufficient to provide illumination. Since I took over the management and operation of the system, there have been no problems, and the chrysanthemum garden has consistently achieved excellent quality, with tall plants and beautiful flowers,” Mr. Bui Van Le assessed. In addition to using a solar power system, Mr. Dinh Quang Trung also uses energy-saving LED bulbs for all the lights in the garden. LED bulbs consume very little electricity, have waterproof sockets, and last two to three years. They are lightweight, less prone to breakage, and very economical for flower growers.

Mr. Bui Van Le also assessed that, normally, on sunny days, the energy from the battery storage system can be used to provide continuous lighting for 10 hours. If it rains, it can still provide enough light for 6 hours, ensuring the chrysanthemum plant's growth cycle. Throughout two years of cultivation, Mr. Dinh Quang Trung's chrysanthemum garden has not used grid electricity at all, relying only on rooftop solar power, and has still achieved very good results. This success stems from the farmer's boldness and the support of the Lam Dong Provincial Department of Industry and Trade.

Mr. Dinh Quang Trung collaborated with the Department of Industry and Trade to pilot a model using rooftop solar power for agricultural production. The Department of Industry and Trade provided partial financial support to accompany Mr. Dinh Quang Trung in implementing the model. The Department's funding also helped him become more confident in his goal of growing chrysanthemums using solar energy. Ms. Cao Thi Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, also stated that supporting farmers in implementing clean energy models for agricultural development is a goal of the Department. The success of farmer Dinh Quang Trung's rooftop solar chrysanthemum cultivation model demonstrates the success of this promising direction. The Department of Industry and Trade hopes that in the future, more agricultural businesses and farming households will develop solar energy models for production, reducing the need for grid electricity, increasing farmers' income, and protecting the green environment.

Source: http://baolamdong.vn/kinh-te/202411/trong-bong-cuc-bang-dien-mat-troi-fbb24df/