Building a greenhouse and testing its limits.
I built a greenhouse, developed connected irrigation and designed a user interface. My master’s thesis examines whether this could help households provide part of their own food supply.
Why I built it
The pandemic made me aware of how much daily life depends on supply chains, infrastructure and political and economic decisions. I wanted to explore how households could take some provision into their own hands by bringing sustainable value creation into everyday life.
My contribution
I built the greenhouse, sourced components and developed an IoT irrigation prototype. In Figma, I designed an interface exploring what users need to know, when they should be notified and when they should intervene. I investigated feasibility and explored solutions and market gaps at an agrivoltaics trade fair.
Results and limits
A physical prototype and interface concept demonstrated possibilities and integration limits. Fully autonomous end-to-end operation was not achieved; the studied variant did not meet the economic and environmental objectives. AI models were considered conceptually, not comprehensively implemented or tested. This was not a market-ready product.
What I learned
Components were difficult to integrate and available household solutions were expensive. My budget did not allow a larger product venture. The thesis recommends cost optimisation, greater attention to user needs and a differentiated choice of energy supply. I now want to revisit costs, open systems and AI support.
Sustainability needs measurable impact
As later context, in 2025 BP reduced planned annual transition-business investment through 2027 to $1.5–2 billion, more than $5 billion below previous plans. A 2024 research review estimated that less than 16% of credits issued by the projects studied corresponded to actual emission reductions. This finding concerns those projects, not all carbon certificates. I therefore want to assess systems by their actual utility, total costs and environmental impact. The thesis was written in German.
Abstract · Summary
The thesis examines whether smart photovoltaic greenhouses can help households produce more of their own food. Technical, economic, environmental and user requirements were assessed alongside a greenhouse, an IoT irrigation prototype and an interface concept. The study identified integration opportunities and substantial limitations: full autonomy remained a challenge, and the investigated configuration did not meet its economic and environmental targets. It recommends focusing on user needs, total costs and suitable energy systems.
Evaluating software and hardware together
The work also sought to develop an approach combining system prototyping and interface prototyping. Initial feasibility and business-case assumptions are tested through a working system and a user interface, checking integration, usability and real operating costs before further investment.
Current investigation: 1, 5 and 15 m² footprints
The September 26, 2026 review and subsequently refined requirements inform a new investigation of 1, 5 and 15 m² total footprints, including paths and equipment. Multiple growing levels are considered where light, crop height and access permit. The focus is diverse seasonal vegetables, irrigation, sensors, compatibility and total costs. Reverse calculations examine what investment could be supported by different yields and workloads; profitability has not been demonstrated.