To solve the overheating problem caused by the solar radiation and to keep the indoor temperature and
humidity at a proper level for plants or crops, cooling technologies play vital role in greenhouse industry,
and among which evaporative cooling is one of the most commonly-used methods. However, the main
challenge of the evaporative cooling is its suitability to local climatic and agronomic condition. In this
study, the performance of evaporative cooling pads was investigated experimentally in a 2304-m2 glass
multi-span greenhouse in Shanghai in the southeast of China. Temperature and humidity distributions
were measured and reported for different working modes, including the use of evaporative cooling alone
and the use of evaporative cooling with shading or ventilation. These experiments were conducted in
humid subtropical climates where were considered unfavourable for evaporative cooling pad systems.
Quantified analyses from the energy perspective are also made based on the experimental results and
the evaporative cooling fan–pad system is demonstrated to be an effective option for greenhouse cooling
even in the humid climate. Suggestions and possible solutions for further improving the performance of
the system are proposed. The results of this work will be useful for the optimisation of the energy
management of greenhouses in humid climates and for the validation of the mathematical model in
future work.
2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.