Increased traffic congestion, diminished open spaces, suburban expansion and decaying urban areas have caused many people to rethink how we develop our land. Strategies for maintaining economic growth, while also curbing costly development on green-field sites and preserving quality of life, are gaining higher priority in metropolitan areas. With societal attitudes moving toward conservation and preservation of energy and natural resources, greenhouses may well become the preferred venue for growing vegetables, fruit and flowers.
But to control environmental temperatures, greenhouses must overcome several challenges. These include rapid and widely varying changes in solar radiation; preheating delay of large water heating systems; adjusting to unknown factors that affect heat loss, such as shading and equipment malfunction; and evaporative cooling effects of plant transpiration.