First harvest at new Thanet Earth project expected 2017

With its 38.5 ha site, Thanet Earth is the largest and most high-tech horticulture complex in England. Thanet Earth is known for its continuous production of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Van der Hoeven was very pleased to be able to design and implement another project for Thanet Earth.

Albarino haze glass with a two-sided AR coating was chosen for the roof glass. This is ideally suited for the Thanet Earth location, which is near the Kent coast. There will be harvests year round. Waste is kept to an absolute minimum; all the green waste goes to local farmers as animal feed or compost. As with the existing greenhouses, rainwater is collected for the new production facility. Furthermore, use will be made of biological pest control to eliminate damaging organisms. This ensures the company can continue to perform at the highest level when it comes to environmental friendliness.

Lighting will be used to promote the growth process. The new cogeneration capacity for the fifth greenhouse provides a total cogeneration capacity of 24 MW for Thanet Earth. This is enough to supply 30,000 homes with electricity. The construction of the fifth Thanet Earth greenhouse will also have had a positive effect on employment. 50 new employees will be employed. In total, Thanet Earth will then have over 700 employees. The project is currently in the final stages, and thanks to good project planning, it will be completed in eight months. The first harvest is expected in early 2017.

Source: Van der Hoeven