Growers Bergschenhoek invest in energy-efficiency

The relatively small community of Bergschenhoek houses one of the leading energy clusters located in the Netherlands. The greenhouse cluster Bergschenhoek is a collaboration between five nurseries that are pioneering in the field of energy-conscious cultivation. One of the objectives is to reduce the heat per company by at least 10%. This they achieve by the use of dual energy screens, vertical fans and the Hoogendoorn iSii process computer. Patron Agri Systems provided the installation.

Investment in innovation
With the start of the innovation 2.0 program in 2014, the cluster Bergschenhoek made several investments, which allow an efficiency improvement of 10%. There are, among other things, new heat pumps, dual screens and high pressure misting. Hoogendoorn partner Patron Agri Systems installed vertical ventilation for dehumidification. In all farms installations are driven by the next generation of iSii computer by Hoogendoorn.

Customized process control
Arjan van der Spek, cluster participant and employed at Arjanet BV as an energy manager: "I started using the Hoogendoorn climate computer last December. A big advantage for me is that you can customize many settings within the iSii software. When setting target values (VIPs) for example, preferred influences can be added. This flexibility gives a lot of freedom. I also have positive experiences with trainers and helpdesk staff. There is a lot of expertise."

About Cluster Bergschenhoek
The cluster consists of 5 horticulture companies: pepper nursery Van der Spek, gerbera nursery Zuijderwijk & Witzier, gerbera nursery Sies and Van der Spek, tomato grower Solyco and bromelia nursery Stofbergen. Together they produce their crop under 20 hectares of glass. 6th cluster partner is energy manager Arjanet BV, among others responsible for collective purchase of gas and electricity. By continuously investing in energy saving measures and practice tests, they seek knowledge and innovations to make these accessible industry-wide.

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