Glass has been placed on the 2SaveEnergy greenhouse. This greenhouse will be built on the Innovative Demo Centre on territory of Wageningen UR Greenhouse in Bleiswijk, the Netherlands. Afterwards, in about two weeks, EFTE film will be placed underneath the glass. EFTE is a strong material and it will last more than 20 years. Project manager Frank Kempers from the Wageningen UR Greenhouse discusses the choices for EFTE film in combination with glass, for which an achievability research has been conducted previously.
The combination of EFTE film with glass has several advantages compared to using two layers of EFTE film or two layers of glass. Firstly, it is less expensive than using two layers of glass. Secondly, the Netherlands is considered as a “glass country”. Therefore it is expected that the Dutch growers will not be interested in foil greenhouses. Thirdly, glass transmits a smaller amount of infrared then EFTE. Therefore, the greenhouse will cool down less quickly at night, which is an advantage. However, due to the coatings on the glass, the same amount of sunlight (and therefore warmth) as the EFTE will be transmitted. Finally, dirt may prevent the transmission of sunlight, but this is not a problem for EFTE it repels dirt.
The opening between glass and EFTE foil will be left open. Therefore, the greenhouse air can flow between the two layers. This is important when snow lies on top of the greenhouse. Then, the ‘warm’ greenhouse air can be blown through the opening. If the space between the two layers will be isolated, the snow will stay longer on top of the greenhouse. They have learned this from a previous project.
The used EFTE-foil is diffuse and the glass is clear. This choice has been made because of the unknown condensation behaviour of diffuse glass as second layer. The transmission of light by diffuse EFTE film is less than the transparent, which is sufficient according to the project leader. The Japanese supplier is currently improving the transmission of light by diffuse film. If this succeeds, the film can be easily replaced by the improved one. This is one of the interesting innovations of this greenhouse.
In order to test the technique, the 2SaveEngergy greenhouse will probably be used for crops with a short growing process. Next year, the greenhouse will be tested by growing tomatoes.
Source: Energiek2020
Announcements
Vacancies
- Head Grower Strawberries, Australia
- Growing Manager for Hydroponic strawberry producer
- Farm Manager Costa Rica
- Regional Sales Manager Fresh Produce
- Head Grower Strawberries, Norway
- Export Trade Manager
- Business Developer - Northern Europe
- Orchard Sector Manager
- Grower
- International Citrus Account Manager
Dutch trial with glass over film
Combination of film and glass on the same greenhouse
Publication date:
Author:
Elita Vellekoop
©
HortiDaily.com
Receive the daily newsletter in your email for free | Click here
Other news in this sector:
- 2023-09-26 “With greenhouse cucumbers, it’s tricky to get the water balance right"
- 2023-09-26 Israeli company introduces new tech as bees struggle to pollinate
- 2023-09-26 "The investment in the vertical farming area is really growing, even when so many people will think differently"
- 2023-09-25 Fostering beneficial fungi in crops from recent PhD research
- 2023-09-21 Auction with various applications for the fruit and vegetables industry
- 2023-09-21 Denmark: Seasony obtains grant to create image recognition algorithms
- 2023-09-21 SaniTomato preserves the properties and freshness of tomatoes for longer
- 2023-09-19 Growing interest and attention to regenerative agriculture practices are driving new research
- 2023-09-19 Why crops grow better with more light?
- 2023-09-19 New Crop-Scanner offers improved scouting and advice
- 2023-09-19 Modeling: a tool for taking the guesswork out of growing
- 2023-09-18 New harvesters for produce destined for the fresh-cut industry
- 2023-09-18 New unit allows on-site carbon capture and reutilization for CEA grower
- 2023-09-18 Sensor development: far-red light for optimal growth
- 2023-09-15 "Growers want to see where limits lie in screen strategies"
- 2023-09-15 Jamaica: Growers encouraged to consider aquaponics
- 2023-09-15 Time for the big clean-up, time for the crop rotation
- 2023-09-15 "How IoT is shaping the future of agriculture"
- 2023-09-14 "The TomSystem can help prevent virus transmission in the greenhouse"
- 2023-09-14 Tomato grower invests in nanobubbles: "Nothing was allowed to go wrong anymore"
