Economic choice of the thickness of polycarbonate fence of a greenhouse

Greenhouses with polycarbonate fencing are widely used for growing agricultural products. In winter, year-round greenhouses are used for growing green crops that do not require high temperature. During the cold season, heat losses in greenhouses increase significantly, with approximately 95% of the heat lost through the translucent fence. The standards for the design of greenhouses SP 107.13330.2012 “Greenhouses and greenhouses” and RD-APK1.10.09.01-14 “Methodological recommendations for the technological design of greenhouses and greenhouse plants for growing vegetables and seedlings” do not contain specific instructions for energy-efficient solutions for enclosing structures of greenhouses made of polycarbonate panels. Due to the significant one-time costs for translucent fencing and operating costs for heating a cultivation facility during the cold season, the possibility of economically choosing the thickness of the polycarbonate fencing of the greenhouse was considered. The purpose of the study included an analytical justification of the thickness of the polycarbonate fence, corresponding to the minimum cost of its installation and heating for the estimated payback period of the structure. During the research, the principles of differential calculus and mathematical statistics were Вестник аграрной науки, 2(107) 2024 DOI: 10.17238/issn2587-666X.2024.2.96 97 used. As an example, one brand of polycarbonate sheets was considered. A correlation between the thermal resistance of PC sheets and their cost has been established, a target function of the total costs for fencing has been compiled, and an expression for the optimal thermal resistance of PC fencing for a greenhouse has been obtained. It has been established that the total costs for polycarbonate fencing of a greenhouse will be the smallest for the initial thickness of the considered range of thicknesses of cellular polycarbonate sheets, if the increase in the cost of 1 m2 of PC sheets exceeds the reduction in heating costs in relation to the same area and thickness of the fence during the estimated payback period of the greenhouse.