ABSTRACT
A computer-based system for the dynamic simulation of horticultural glasshouses has been developed. It comprises a preprocessor which facilitates rapid graphic input of the description of the physical system, a TRNSYS-compatible simulation model and output configured to provide spreadsheet and graphic formats. Predicted internal temperatures have been compared with monitored data from each of two glasshouses, one in the temperate climate of Northern Ireland (half-hourly) and the other in the hotter climate of Crete (hourly). Good agreement between measured and predicted values has been obtained for a range of applied conditions. Parametric analysis has been carried out via the model in order to investigate the effects of varying transmittance properties of the glasshouse covers.
