Energy Use

As the horticultural industry faces both an ever-increasing global food demand and climate change, greenhouse growers are looking for solutions which can adapt to the changing conditions. Enter Hortinergy, a company which offers an advanced online software that simulates the indoor climate and energy…

Are your energy curtains getting the attention they deserve? Find out if it's time to replace your curtains in a great article by @greenhousecan #greenhousetech #energysavings buff.ly/2N7BoYk pic.twitter.com/N35RlwtYMo

Vertical farming uses a lot less water. But investors are starting to realize it’s expensive to keep grow-lights running for 12-16 hours a day, @climate reports: bit.ly/2MjIbO4 pic.twitter.com/u86ivtAMPK

By the time you spot holes in #energy #curtains, it's already compromised your #greenhouse #climate. Accumulating dust, dirt and algae, #screens are often left unchanged for too long.

greenhousecanada.com/letting-go-of-…

... into vertical farms that grow produce like leafy greens, herbs, and tomatoes. The farms, of course, require electricity to function, since most ...

In hot climatic conditions, the temperature inside a greenhouse is much higher than the ambient temperature and requires significant cooling to maintain the temperature in the optimal range. A newly published study done by researches of the Hamad bin Khalifa University proposes a novel concept for a self-…

Energy gained from the water-cooling, is enough to supply 50% of the required heat for a typical #greenhouse!

#oreon #efficiency #LEDlightgrow pic.twitter.com/BpZMCH1PMq

As the fall approaches, the days get shorter and shorter. This is the time of the year where our free energy source, sunlight, becomes limited. Sunlight is essential to maintain the global temperature in the ranges appropriate for plant growth. In winter, plant production is challenging because…

Global warming is a growing concern. For growers, a reduction in the use of fossil fuels can be a way to minimize their impact on the environment. It can be very difficult in winter months to maintain the greenhouse at ideal temperatures for plants, even during the day. During winter months, the…

When switching to LEDs, your electricity bill will lower and your heating bill will increase. Sounds fair, and most growers are completely aware of this. But by how much? That's often unclear, even when the LEDs have already been installed. "Since electricity is measured in kwH and gas is measured in…

When temperatures are dropping, growers can reuse dissapated heat from the water cooled LED fixtures to heat the ponds and therefor make full use of the energy consumption of the LED fixtures. #ledlightgrow #ledgrowlight #greenhouse #teeltvijvers #hydroponicgreenhouse #basil pic.twitter.com/MiGqH0Zpv3

The use of renewable energy in modern greenhouse management is important to achieve efficient and sustainable food supplies for a world with an increasing population. This study assessed the performance of a blind-type shading regulator that can automatically rotate semi-transparent photovoltaic (PV)…

The Dutch horticultural sector is already circular: more and more energy is renewable, there are many savings, rainwater is collected to be used for production purposes. Less water, less pesticides is good for the environment, but also good for the business. Also in Poland, this trend is visible. But considering the fact that…

In relatively hot climates like most of Australia, using an automated Shade or Energy Screen is an indispensable tool, but it is also a compromise – it’s really good at cooling the greenhouse, or really good at keeping it warm, but it can’t do both very well. So, Growers are increasingly opting for Double Screens – one screen…

The increasing pressure to reduce gas consumption, the urge for circular energy efficient solutions and the improving/accelerating production processes in our sector are a few contributing factors to the introduction of a new and revolutionary heating system in horticulture. Luiten Greenhouse is the…

Carrier Transicold has reaffirmed its commitment to reducing emissions, improving sustainability and increasing efficiency across the refrigerated transport sector with the launch of the first fully autonomous, all-electric engineless refrigerated trailer system, the Vector® eCool™. Carrier Transicold is…

Electricity is still a bargain considering all the work that it accomplishes. Besides saving considerable labor, it provides better environment control to produce quality plants. Yet, one of the complaints that I frequently hear is that the bill keeps increasing every year.

Part of this is that the rates charged by power companies are increasing. More than half of the states had increases within the last year. Another reason is that growers keep adding equipment and controls that need electricity.

The following are six ideas – based on the energy audits I have done in the Northeast – that may help to slow the electric bill increase.

Natural ventilation saves considerable electricity — When compared to fan cooling that operates 2000 to 3,000 hours per year, installing vents saves at least one-quarter on the electric use. Today, systems are available for most types of greenhouses. Roll-up sides, either manual or motorized, are easy to retrofit on hoophouses with the addition of an extra rail at 4’ to 6’ above the baseboard. Payback is usually less than 5 years. Roof vents can be added to most greenhouses. Although more expensive, they provide more uniform ventilation within the greenhouse than having fans.

Changes to a Delta greenhouse will help grow vegetables using about half the amount of natural gas to heat the facility, lowering its carbon footprint, increasing its energy efficiency and supporting a clean economy. “By working together with B.C. growers, we’re investing in more sustainable ways to…

With the latest advancements in horticultural technology, many growers would rather use LEDs instead of HPS lighting. High quality LED lights are famously more efficient and longer lasting. They emit less heat than HPS and MH bulbs. Used correctly, they even produce higher yields and a more potent…

“We’re here to empower cultivators worldwide to explore the interaction between light and life, increasing their yields and plant quality while achieving new margins and profits,” says Steve Graves, VP of Business Development at Fluence by OSRAM. The company was founded in 2013 in Austin, Texas, by…

Knowing where natural resource use accumulates is fundamental to understanding what factors influence resource-use decisions. A recent Economic Research Service (ERS) study estimated natural resource use by the U.S. food system in 2007 (2007 data were the latest available with the level of detail needed…

In June team AuTomatoes won the second edition of Wageningen University’s Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge. There was no discussion about the team’s win, they scored highest on all three grading criteria, making them the absolute winner. In their strategy the team applied the principles of Plant…

Hydro-Québec has filed an application with the Régie de l’énergie regarding a new rate offering to support the development of the Québec greenhouse industry. The application provides for a rate of 5.59¢ per kilowatthour (kWh) for photosynthetic lighting and space heating to raise crops, available to all…

McCain Foods Australia has announced that it has commenced construction on a renewable energy system that will reduce emissions from its food processing facility in Ballarat. The reduction will exceed 27,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. As reported by potatonewstoday.com, the project, which will house…

Mariska Dreschler (GreenTech) and Ted Duijvestijn (CEO Duijvestijn Tomatoes), discuss indoor growing and the following topics: Why circularity is important and how Duijvestijn incorporates this How can you reuse excess and waste? Geothermal energy, is it too early? Data and digitisation in the greenhouse…