Our goal is to bring you the best self-contained, off-the-grid passive solar greenhouse that would only require seeds, soil, sun and water to grow a wide variety of plants. We built our first SunCatcher greenhouse in 2001, and over the past fifteen years we have continued to iterate and improve our Contact online >>
Our goal is to bring you the best self-contained, off-the-grid passive solar greenhouse that would only require seeds, soil, sun and water to grow a wide variety of plants. We built our first SunCatcher greenhouse in 2001, and over the past fifteen years we have continued to iterate and improve our design so that customers like you can grow plants the way they want, in whatever climate they want. We do this by ignoring conventional (wrong) greenhouse wisdom, and focusing on the basic needs of plants: heat, sunlight, humidity, CO2 and protection from extreme weather.
A conventional greenhouse will be producing more headaches than food after 10, 15 or 20 years. Your SunCatcher will be growing the same beautiful vegetables in 40, 50, 60 years, no grid power or fossil fuels required.
We encourage potential buyers to consider a SunCatcher and Eco Panels "Kit" option. We deliver cutting-edge shell building materials direct to your door, and can work with a local contractor on construction and detailing. Eco Panels are at the cutting edge of building materials manufacturing and far exceed the properties of a typical building – we love this partnership and think you will too!
Our "Kit" design removes much of the guesswork and back and forth with a contractor, guaranteeing a high quality product in shorter time and lower cost. Learn more with our brochure and case study, and reach out for a quote.
We also sell blueprints directly for a "stick-built" 12×24 and 16×32 design. This could work better for a DIY builder committed to the project, or someone who shipping and assembling Eco Panels from Western North Carolina does not make sense geographically. Note the design is provided "as is"; you will need to find your own architect for any modifications and our capacity for pro bono support in making changes is very limited.
We are open to discuss custom projects for commercial clients. We have found that it is rarely financially feasible for us to collaborate closely with individuals on custom projects with us and that our design principles do not scale well beyond a certain square footage in a single building. If you think it''s worth discussing, please contact us.
Andrew Harrell, Greenhouse & Landscape Designer, is applying passive solar principles to draft SunCatcher construction plans. Harrell plays a vital role in serving as a CAD (computer-aided design) specialist to document and implement the designs for the full-size greenhouses. Beyond SunCatcher, Andrew is a landscape architect with a background in stormwater engineering focused on edible landscaping, sustainable landscapes, and computational design. He is also a hobby gardener on his small urban plot in Durham, North Carolina.
He can help you find the optimal location for your greenhouse, connect you with the best size for your needs, generate custom full-size designs, and plan landscape recommendations around your SunCatcher and property.
Parker Grissom, Sales Associate, brings a wealth of experience helping customers bring sustainable solutions to their every day problems. Whether with solar energy, personal health goals, or small scale passive solar, Parker is the man for the job. We’re thrilled to welcome him to the SunCatcher team as we launch our line of personal, small footprint products!
Joshua Carroll, Director of Strategy and Digital, has a decade of experience envisioning, building, and managing products and working with data for companies like Microsoft and Starbucks. Joshua has been involved in various roles with SunCatcher for the last fifteen years. His current focus is bringing the SunCatcher strategy to market from his home in Washington, DC, as well as running all things digital at SunCatcher. In his free time, he enjoys electronic music, plays with fire, and organizes transformational festivals, arts and activist gatherings.
The spherical surface of the Growing Dome® geodesic passive solar greenhouse allows for even heat gain as it tracks the sun throughout the day. A rectangular greenhouse has a large flat south-facing area allowing a larger amount of sunlight to come in at mid-day. But in the early morning and late afternoon the light input is negligible. Plants, like people, love early morning sun! It’s like a fresh cup of coffee.
The Growing Dome geodesic shape has the added benefit of withstanding extreme weather like wind, snow and hail. Flat panels on a rectangular greenhouse are very susceptible to wind and hail damage.
Passive solar means that we are using the energy from the sun to directly heat the greenhouse. The key is the high-quality polycarbonate glazing. We offer a multi-wall (16mm) polycarbonate glazing with an R-Value of 2.8 and a twin-wall (8mm) polycarbonate glazing with an R-value of 1.7. The clear, translucent covering allows 65% (16mm) to 81% (8mm) light transmission, which is perfect for growing. Glass panels that allow 90% light transmission can burn your plants when they get direct sunlight.
The polycarbonate panels resist breakdown by ultraviolet light and harsh weather impacts, like hail. The greenhouse polycarbonate glazing has a life expectancy of over 20 years and comes with a 10-year pro-rated warranty by the manufacturer against yellowing and hail damage. You and your plants will love the soft diffused light inside your Growing Dome greenhouse.
In the undersoil ventilation system, a small fan draws warm or cool air through pipes buried in the raised beds. Thus warming or cooling the soil temperature to enable plants to grow better through all weather conditions. The greenhouse kit contains the fan, distribution box, and a solar panel to power the fan. The corrugated pipe is one of the locally purchased items and readily available through most building supply stores.
The larger Growing Dome greenhouses (33′ & 42′) come standard with 115V cooling fans, which require an electrical power supply. They also include solar-powered exhaust fans for the top of the dome. For an additional cost, a Solar Powered Cooling Upgrade is available for these larger year-round greenhouses.
A solar cooling fan or electric cooling fan can be added to any size of Growing Dome greenhouse. The Desert Cooling Package comes with one active solar cooling fan and a misting system, which may also be added to any greenhouse kit.
About Passive solar greenhouse kits
As the photovoltaic (PV) industry continues to evolve, advancements in Passive solar greenhouse kits have become critical to optimizing the utilization of renewable energy sources. From innovative battery technologies to intelligent energy management systems, these solutions are transforming the way we store and distribute solar-generated electricity.
When you're looking for the latest and most efficient Passive solar greenhouse kits for your PV project, our website offers a comprehensive selection of cutting-edge products designed to meet your specific requirements. Whether you're a renewable energy developer, utility company, or commercial enterprise looking to reduce your carbon footprint, we have the solutions to help you harness the full potential of solar energy.
By interacting with our online customer service, you'll gain a deep understanding of the various Passive solar greenhouse kits featured in our extensive catalog, such as high-efficiency storage batteries and intelligent energy management systems, and how they work together to provide a stable and reliable power supply for your PV projects.
