Experimental assessment of carbon film heating powered by photovoltaics and daylight pipes for broiler housing

Poultry housing requires continuous heating and lighting, resulting in considerable electricity demand during broiler production. In this study, an off-grid photovoltaic (PV)-supported broiler housing system combining carbon-film heating and daylight pipe lighting was experimentally evaluated under real operating conditions. Four experimental configurations were compared, including PV-supported and conventional electric heating systems combined with daylight pipe, LED, and fluorescent lighting options. Thermal behavior, indoor illuminance, electricity generation and consumption, operational carbon emissions, and economic performance were monitored during a 41-day broiler production cycle. The PV-supported carbon-film heating systems provided more stable indoor thermal conditions than the conventional electric heaters, with lower temperature fluctuations and improved setpoint control. Total energy consumption was 79.29 and 75.06 kWh in the PV-supported groups, compared with 323.12 and 362.56 kWh in the conventionally heated groups, corresponding to energy savings of 78.13% and 79.30%, respectively. The daylight pipe system provided daytime indoor illuminance levels exceeding 1000 lx under favourable solar conditions while reducing dependence on artificial lighting. Since the PV-supported systems operated fully off-grid during the experimental period, no direct grid-related operational carbon emissions were attributed to these systems within the defined accounting boundary. Economic analysis indicated a discounted payback period of 6.25 years. The results demonstrate that integrating photovoltaic-supported carbon-film heating with daylight pipe lighting can substantially reduce external electricity demand in broiler housing while maintaining suitable indoor environmental conditions. The proposed system provides experimental evidence for the technical feasibility of off-grid solar-assisted environmental control in poultry production.