A small-scale experimental greenhouse for computing thermal models

Thermal modeling of greenhouses is an active research topic, aiming to provide high precision forecasting models needed for efficient greenhouse control solutions. Unfortunately identifying the best model structure based on measurements from a real greenhouse is not always feasible. This paper presents the design and implementation of a small-scale experimental greenhouse, intended as a good real measurement source for model development. The measurements from the small greenhouse were used for thermal modeling of the heating system with a model structure obtained from a real greenhouse. The availability of these data for a realistic model structure ensures the real-world eligibility of the data produced by the experimental design.