| Summary: | A Chinese solar greenhouse (CSG) is used as a horticultural facility that provides high efficiency thermal storage performance to produce vegetables in winter. Quantifying the thermal performance of the surrounding structure including the back roof, soil, and north wall is helpful to improve the thermal performance of the CSG. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the performance of the heat transfer inside a CSG and analyze the thermal characteristics of different parts of the surrounding structures including solar gain, heat flux, and conduction heat transfer. The model was validated using experimental data from clear days and cloudy days during winter in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China. It indicates that the calculation method and model is valid and that EnergyPlus, which has been used in the thermal building field, can be used as a design tool to optimize solar energy storage and structure of greenhouses. The minimum temperatures of all components inside the CSG were maintained over 5 °C, even when the outside temperature reached to −22 °C, which showed good heat preservation in cold weather. Soil received the most radiation heat compared with other surfaces inside the CSG and contributed heat to the interior air to maintain air temperatures during the night.
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