John P. Cipolletti is a member of the US Space Worker Hall of Fame, for his work on the Space Shuttle program. He wrote an article titled “The Rutgers system for solar heating of commercial greenhouses” in September of 1980. The abstract:
Research on solar heating of greenhouses has focused on the development of low initial-cost systems utilizing materials and construction techniques currently available in the greenhouse industry. The system is based upon a flooded subfloor storage which is unobtrusive and enables the entire floor to serve as the primary heat exchange area. With a massive storage and large heat exchange capacity the solar system can operate effectively at relatively low temperatures enabling low-cost plastic film solar collectors to be effectively utilized. Also, warming the floor of a greenhouse has been found to have a beneficial effect on the plants and allows air temperatures to be significantly reduced for many important crops. Movable curtain insulation systems are used to reduce nighttime heat loss. A number of research greenhouses have been tested over the past 5 years and a 0.54 hectare commercial demonstration is in its third year of operation.