LTO Glaskracht president Sjaak van der Tak: "Dutch greenhouse horticulture is and remains front runner in sustainability, but the transition process can only be a success with government support. In recent years a reduction of 7.5 megaton to 5 megaton emission has been realized in the horticulture, and if you extrapolate that line, the horticulture will be fossil free in 2040, 2050".
However, there is a long way to go. One of the conditions for realizing the climate ambitions is the availability of sufficient external CO2 to replace the CO2 from natural gas. Now, smoke gasses which are released when burning natural gas are used. Supply from waste management companies, process industry, and bio-refining are possibilities, but large steps have to be taken to make these available for greenhouse horticulture.
Van der Tak also sees an important role for co-generation for growers who use lighting. "Sufficient renewable electricity is not available at every moment in the year. To supplement renewable energy, co-generation is an important instrument to be flexible in dealing with demand and supply of electricity, but also heat. Even when completely fossil free, co-generation can keep playing a role with the aid of renewable gas, or perhaps even hydrogen as a flexible, sustainable addition to grid supply."
source: LTO Glaskracht