Maripositas » Greenhouse

Greenhouse concept of electrical combination panels

Erik van Berkum — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:20:05 +0000

A Typical Greenhouse installation has many separate electrical control panels.

Typical American Greenhouses Electrical Pannel Installation

You can make your installation simple and less costly by having:

No separate 575V or 480V Circuit Breaker Panel
No separate 208V Circuit Breaker Panel
No cables and conduit between Circuit Breaker Panels and Motor Control Panel
No separate Computer Panel
No separate Computer Override Switch Panel
No separate Motor Control Panel
No cables and conduits between Computer Panel and Override Switch Panel
No cables and conduits between Computer Panel and Motor Control boxes
No cables and conduits between Override SwitchPanel and Motor Control Boxes

Scratch from your installation

What you can take out to make it simple

Save money

By not installing separate Circuit Breaker panels, Computer panels and motor starter boxes
By not installing all interconnecting cables for all these enclosures
By not terminating all these external cables (both sides)
By installing less conduit
By not having to “trouble shoot” all external wire connections
By not servicing and maintaining all separate boxes

Do not only look at purchasing cost of individual equipment when you start

But look at the total cost of the final installation

The end result can be …..

Electrical Combination Panel

Everything in just one panel

Drawings of all circuitry provided with the panel
Installation can be done by any electrician even if they are untrained in greenhouse automation systems
Less clutter of all separate boxes with interconnections and conduit in the greenhouse
Lower maintenance and troubleshooting costs
A clean installation in your greenhouse at a lower total installed cost

Final Scheme

Be wise invest in Electrical Combination panels for the long term.

Thanks to Al van den Ende Ispecs

también está disponible en español

El Concepto de Panels de Control

Erik van Berkum — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:00:58 +0000

Un invernadero tiene muchas cajas de control e interruptores.

Panels son menos costoso y mas fácil instalación
La combinación de los requisitos de los controles eléctricos y los cortacircuitos en unos pocos paneles fácil de instalar, simplifica la instalación complete y ahorrar dinero en todo el proyecto.

Estos paneles personalizados contienen y combinan todos los puntos de datos Hoogendoorn, los módulos de interfaz los arrancadores de motor y tambien los paneles de cortacircuitos norteamericanos.

Los puntos de datos son el hardware de la computadora, tambien conocidos como los módulos o terminales de entrada y salida.

Quitar de su instalación

What you can take out to make it simple

Ahorra dinero

Módulos de interfase han sido agregados para vincular el hardware de la computadora con los circuitos de controles eléctricos.

Reveladores de control de alto voltaje han sido agregados para vincular los módulos de interfaz a los circuitos eléctricos de control de alto voltaje.

Arrancadores de moteres han sido agregados para encender y proteger los circuitos de suministro del motor.

El resultado final …..

Panel eléctrico de combinación Panel

Final Scheme

Sé prudente invertir en paneles eléctricos de combinación para el largo plazo

Gracias Al van den Ende Ispecs

Also available in English

Greenhouse systems built from 2020 will be energy-neutral

Erik van Berkum — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:35:16 +0000

A very good article from Peppers today in which I collaborated.

With fossil fuels predicted to become scarcer and more expensive worldwide, energy costs are clearly an increasing concern for growers. This is particularly true for pepper growers in the Netherlands, since their greenhouses require energy to control the temperature, and if their peppers are to be of the highest quality, they must be cultivated under the right temperature conditions.

Production costs in greenhouses have been shown to represent around 78% of the total chain costs, and energy consumption is the main component of these costs, according to the Greenergy project, a Collective Research project funded by the European Commission.

Therefore, Dutch pepper growers have recognized a need for reliable, up-to-date information, as they become more and more involved in energy production.

The importance of greenhouses in Dutch agriculture
The role played by greenhouses in the agricultural scenario might appear to be relatively insignificant, insofar as they account for no more than 0.5% of the total area of agricultural land in the Netherlands. Their average size is also relatively small when compared with the average size of other farms (1.5 ha compared with 44 ha for the average dairy farm). However, greenhouses play a very important role in the economy and represent high sources of income.

Energy costs are especially relevant for Dutch pepper growers, since the area devoted to pepper crops in the Netherlands has increased considerably in the last few years. Whereas in the early 1990s peppers covered an area of just 700 hectares, today they have overtaken the tomato as the most important vegetable crop, reaching an area of 1,250 hectares in 2007, according to the US National Agricultural Statistics Service. Meanwhile, peppers in glasshouses accounted for 25% of the total horticultural area under glass in 2008, with 1,184.02 hectares.

Source: CBS, Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, Den Haag/Heerlen

Cogeneration: a Dutch success story
One of the solutions successfully adopted by farmers in the Netherlands to reduce costs in greenhouses is the Combined Heat and Power system (CHP, or WKK, from the Dutch warmte kracht koppeling). The implementation of CHP, also known as Cogeneration, can save the grower 20 to 30% on energy bills, according to Mr. Erik Van Berkum, General Manager of Hoogendoorn America Inc, a subsidiary of the Hoogendoorn Group in Holland, one of the most innovative suppliers of process automation systems in the horticultural industry.

Since CHP was first implemented in 1987 as a means of providing electricity for growing lights, the concept has changed little: electricity is produced by burning fuel, the greenhouse is fed with the CO2 and the heat, and the remaining electricity is used in the greenhouse itself for light or it is returned to the national grid.

Nico van Ruiten, Chairman of LTO Glaskracht, an organization representing greenhouse growers, made the following observations to the digital Made in Holland magazine, published by the bureau of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs: “In the 1980s, gas-fired combined heat and power installations were introduced, which produced not only electricity and heat, but also CO2, which plants need to grow. If you blow CO2 into the greenhouse, the crops will grow faster. All of these techniques have been developed further in the meantime, which is entirely logical, because energy is one of the major cost items for all growers in the Netherlands and abroad. Energy-saving measures are therefore not only beneficial for the environment, but also extremely important for growers’ profit margins.”

Key factors in the success of CHP in Dutch greenhouses
There are many key factors in the successful implementation of Combined Heat and Power by Dutch farmers over the last 20 years.

Heating while using energy.- No other industry can take such advantage of the energy generated by fuel while using the remaining heat to regulate the temperature of the agricultural and horticultural holding, exporting the energy surplus back to the grid or using it in the greenhouse itself.

Taking advantage of CO2 .- The advantages of using CO2 to increase profitability while reducing emissions make CHP a sustainable solution for minimizing the human impact on the environment.

Government role.- The system would not be sufficiently solid, if government agricultural policy were not focused on supporting the greenhouse sector, with the avowed objective of contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by saving energy, while producing energy at the same time. The “Green label” subsidy is also a fillip for greenhouses in the Netherlands, because by fulfilling certain requirements, the grower can gain access to certain incentives, such as the energy investment or Energy Tax (ET) deduction, or a reduction in the levy on energy consumption for glasshouse horticulture.

Electricity scenario.- The liberalization of electricity generation and gas supply, together with a favorable electricity and gas price ratio and a good infrastructure, are also key factors in the success of CHP in the Netherlands.

CHP usage has increased to reach about 90% of farms in the Netherlands in 2009, according to Mr. Rik Lootens from Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Company.

As for the future of CHP in Dutch greenhouses, Mr. Jan Korff, who is on the Netherlands Member Committee of the World Energy Council, predicted a “flourishing future for CHP in the Netherlands” in the presentation that he made entitled “CHP in The Netherlands – Opportunities and Threats” at Euroheat&Power, 6th Industry and Utility Forum, held in Slovenia in November 2007.

Among the threats to CHP, Korff highlighted the low level of transparency regarding the network capacity; the lack of a system of milestones and cancellation fees; the lack of pro-active behavior; and the need for a stable approach on the part of the government.

Global energy saving programme for greenhouses in the Netherlands
With the aim of reducing energy costs in greenhouses while minimizing the impact on the environment, the Dutch government and the glasshouse industry in the Netherlands have set up some ambitious programme with a cluster of goals related with energy, crop protection and fertilization for the glasshouse industry.

One of these projects currently in progress is the Energy-Producing Greenhouse Transition Programme. Launched in 2006, the ultimate objective of this project is to reach the point where greenhouse systems built from 2020 are energy-neutral, i.e. they produce the same amount of energy as they consume.

In addition to the CHP system, the Dutch agricultural sector is focusing its energy-saving efforts on the use of other sources of energy:

- Solar energy.- Using greenhouses as “solar collectors” that can then supply energy to third parties or in combination with semi-closed greenhouses. This solar energy can be applied in greenhouses in two ways, according to the specific energy needs: by implementing a thermal solar installation as support for heating, or by installing a photovoltaic solar plant in order to produce electricity. One of the Dutch projects that uses solar energy is Elkas (“electricity-producing greenhouse” in Dutch). Elkas is the first electricity-producing greenhouse in the world based on solar energy alone, and the concept has a lot of potential, since the plans are that it will be economically profitable within the next 5 years.

- Biomass.- Using manure and farm waste as fuel for energy production yields a considerable advantage in terms of cost compared with fossil fuels. However, there is still an important disadvantage: the initial investment in this kind of boiler is higher, so this must be balanced against the annual saving in fuel.

- Geothermal heat.- Using the heat of the deep layers of the earth in greenhouses. This can be done by conducting natural hot water through the greenhouse in order to increase the temperature inside the facilities, or it is also possible to use the heat by means of a heat-conductor fluid, which is placed in a pipe system previously laid under the soil. Vleestomaat Company greenhouses are an example of this use of warm water from the ground to grow tomatoes; this method saves the growers 80% of the energy normally used, 5 million m3 of natural gas and more than 10,000 tons of C02 per year.

Moreover, Dutch growers in the horticultural industry are seeking to adapt production to the changing conditions. For instance, “they are considering the development of the floating greenhouse, an ingenious solution to the problems of a limited land surface area and the growing dependence on water in built-up areas,” the Made in Holland magazine reports.

Gerda Verburg, the Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, is also confident about the future of energy-producing greenhouses: “I can see opportunities for the energy-producing greenhouse in urban areas in particular, where homes and other properties have to be heated. In those areas, there is not only a major demand for intensive food production, but also good potential for bringing energy supply and energy demand into line with one another.”

With respect to the future of the sector, Mr. Dick Kramp, Marketing Program Manager for GE Energy’s Jenbacher gas engines, highlighted the increasing trend towards local production, optimising local resources and minimizing environmental impact:

“In my opinion, the future will involve growing vegetables locally to avoid transportation costs and C02 emission. Production close to the consumer will be the future trend. The establishment of green ports next to big cities. Dutch growers will found foreign establishments to be a part of this new development. The first example is the Thanet Earth project in Kent, where 3 Dutch growers grow peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers to serve the UK market. This green port will be a model of production, logistics and energy, drawing on state-of-the-art technologies from the Netherlands.”

Sources:
# Energy Optimization in European Greenhouses, Greenergy 6th framework programme
# Agriholland.nl
# Facts and Figures on the Dutch Agri-Sector 2008, from the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture
# Holland trade, EVD, Agency for International Business and Cooperation
# The Dutch Outlook regarding the European Agricultural Policy 2020 (September 2008), Dutch Ministry of Agriculture
# Energy savings and efficiency in greenhouses, Spanish Ministry of Agriculture
# CHP in the Netherlands, presentation by Jan Korff
# CBS, Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, Den Haag/Heerlen 2-7-2009
# Dutch agriculture and horticulture with a glance at South Korea, Report 2009-039
# The Netherlands, Energy Efficiency Action Plan 2007, Europe.eu

Acknowledgments:
# Dick Kramp, Marketing Program Manager, GE Energy, Jenbacher gas engines, at the Greenergy summit, April 2009
# Erik Van Berkum, General Manager for Hoogendoorn America Inc.
# Rik Lootens, Syngenta Seeds Vegetables

Syngenta Peppers Today Newsletter 16 – July 2009

Greenhouse innovations and future production technics

Erik van Berkum — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:04:03 +0000

Over the last years you see a lot of new greenhouse models on the market which should enable us to produce sustainable food without using extensively natural resources. In the photos below you see some concept currently tested or in full production in the horticultural produce sector.

You have another concept, inform me I am more than happy to add them.

Solar Greenhouse

Sun Wind Greenhouse

Elkas Greenhouse

Seawater Greenhouse

Flowdeck Greenhouse

Sunenergy Greenhouse

Plant Factory

Village Farms Gates production Principles

Thanet Eart

Greenergy

Gates: Greenhouse Advanced Technology Expert System

Erik van Berkum — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:52:50 +0000

Science behind the Method
Village Farms is a leader in agricultural research and foremost in North America for developing improvements in greenhouse production technology. Village Farms applied research division continues to invest tremendous resources in the areas of Climate Engineering, Plant Biology & Pathology, Entomology, and Ecology. For almost twenty years, Village Farms has been at the forefront of technological greenhouse innovation by developing creative solutions in challenging climatic environments, not to mention, has achieved and documented the world record for highest yield.

Partnerships
Village Farms scientists are engaged in partnerships with numerous academic and applied research institutes throughout the world to test and implement new technology in their greenhouse production facilities. Their state of the art greenhouse system is, in continued development, employing an integrated approach of theoretical and applied research methods. The end result is an efficient system from seed to fork built on proprietary intellectual property with capabilities like no other in the world.

GATES
Village Farms’ “crown glory” in applied research is their Greenhouse Advanced Technology Expert System (GATES). GATES system was created to perfect vegetable and fruit greenhouse production in high-sun and low-humidity areas. Adjacent to the facilities in Marfa, Texas this revolutionary greenhouse is a combination of unique and valuable intellectual property. The entire project is a multi-million dollar investment developed using new concepts in greenhouse design technology, climate control, and crop management. Utilizing new combinations of hardware, software, sensors, and control systems, GATES technology has defined industry standards in advanced food safety principles, production levels, and environmental stewardship values for greenhouse production.

GATES CAPABILITIES :

365 day production of high quality fruit providing 100% fulfillment of customer requirements.

contained environment excludes all outside pests while inside pests are controlled with IPM (Integrated Pest Management), making GATES production 100% insecticide free.

production levels are 60% higher than average greenhouse production.

yield 20-30 times more product per acre than conventional field production

technology achieves lowest price per pound in the industry today.

uses 100% of water with no waste and recycles 100% of irrigation drainage to conserve water and fertilizer.

is designed to use waste heat to warm the greenhouses.

is designed to recover CO² from boiler and power plant exhaust to utilize plant for increasing crop growth.

uses 3 types of evaporation to cool and humidify the greenhouse.

water efficient growing system for tomatoes requires 1/7th of water usage, compared to field grown tomatoes, further translating into an 86% savings in water usage.

has the most sophisticated plant monitoring available, including cameras, plant temperatures, water uptake, and growth rates. These measurements are all minute by minute in real time.

uses the plant measurements and software models to fine tune the greenhouse conditions

technology can be transferred to high density population centers, therefore, reducing ‘food miles’ and thus, the overall carbon footprint.

can harvest solar power from excess sun radiation and convert to electricity.

World Professional Horticulture software automation companies

Erik van Berkum — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:50:16 +0000

I built a worldwide directory of Horticulture Software automation companies. Below you find a list by country, I know there are many more. Do you have any suggestions please let me know I will be happy to add them.

Dutch Greenhouse Horticulture software automation, Holland The Netherlands

Dutch Greenhouse Horticulture systems automation and or Horticultural Installers water electro Heating The Netherlands Holland

Electro Limburg

Patron Agri Systems

World professional Greenhouse builders list

Erik van Berkum — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 05:04:11 +0000

I built a worldwide directory of professional Greenhouse builders. Professional means Greenhouse builders for commercial production. Below you find a list by country, I know there are many more. Do you have any suggestions please let me know I will be happy to add them. Please don’t post hobby greenhouse builders since I like to keep this list professional.

Australian Greenhouse builders, Australia

Faber Greenhouses

Canadian Greenhouse builders, Canada

Greenhouse builders in United States / US

Dutch Greenhouse builders, Holland, Netherlands

Japanese Greenhouse builders, Japan

English Greenhouse builders, United Kingdom England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Eire

New Zealand Greenhouse builders

Belgium Greenhouse buillders

French Greenhouse builders, France

German Greenhouse builders, Germany

Danish Greenhouse builders

Viemose-Driboga

Israeli Greenhouse builders

Chinese Greenhouse construction and design

Korean Greenhouse builders

Constructores de Invernaderos en España / Spanish Greenhouse builders Spain

Constructores de Invernaderos en México / Mexican Greenhouse builders Mexico

ELKAS Electricity Producing Greenhouse

Erik van Berkum — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:37:25 +0000

Elkas (the electricity supplying greenhouse) shows how to convert solar energy into electricity. In designing energy generating greenhouses the emphasis still lies in systems that supply low-grade forms of energy (i.e. warmth). The electricity generating greenhouse is aimed at catching the radiation that is not being used for crop growth and converting it in high grade power.

The inteligent solution for this greenhouse is an integrated filter for rejecting near infrared radiation (NIR) and a solar energy delivery system. Cooled greenhouses are an important issue to cope with the combination of high global radiation and high outdoor temperatures. As a first measure, the spectral selective cover material, which prevents the entrance of NIR radiation, is investigated.

The special spectral selective properties of these materials have to block up to 50% of the solar energy outside the greenhouse, which will reduce the needed cooling capacity.

The second measure is the integration of a solar energy system. When the NIR reflecting coating is designed as a parabolic or circular shaped reflector integrated in the greenhouse, the reflected solar energy of a PV cell in the focus point delivers electric energy. With a ray tracing computer program the geometry of the reflector was optimally designed with respect to the maximum power level. The PV or TPV cells mounted in the focal point require cooling due to the high heat load of the concentrated radiation (concentration factor of 40-120).

Or to say it simple PAR light (growth light) enters the greenhouse and the NIR light is reflected via the special foil to produce electricity. The foil to produce the electricity contains a few hundreds very thin layers, during tests the cheap silicium cells where found the most efficient solar cells. Because the sun is moving during the day and during the season the solar pannels are moveable and will move with the sun.

So far the results are promising and there was decided to built a research greenhouse which has been finished construction by the end of June 2008. This is the first electricity producing greenhouse in the world but so far it’s a small greenhouse of only 10m2 by 10m2. According to researcher Piet Sonneveld the concept has a lot of potential and it will be economically profitable within the next 5 years. In potential the ELKAS only needs 10% of a conventional Greenhouse. The electricity production of the ELKAS should be around 0.4 MW / Ha. Because the smart foil is keeping the excessive heating outside the climate inside the greenhouse for the plants is much better.

Policy of the Dutch governments is aimed at sustainable glasshouse horticulture in terms of economy, environment and labour conditions. In the Covenant Glasshouse Horticulture and Environment, government and glasshouse industry have set ambitious goals for energy, crop protection and fertilization for glasshouse industry in 2010.
The goals for energy saving are linked to the Kyoto protocol on the reduction of CO2 emission by setting a maximum for the glasshouse industry CO2 emission to 6.5 Mton at the actual area of 10.500 ha, which will be increased to 7.1 Mton if the area increases to 11.500 ha.

The ambition is that greenhouse systems built from 2020 on will compensate equally energy consumption by energy production. Assimilation lighting has proven to be a powerful tool to increase production and quality, especially in winter.

Elkas Greenhouse

Partners in development of ELKAS

Wageningen UR
Plant Research International B.V. WUR
Bosman kassenbouw
EOS regulation center/Novem (financing)
Dutch ministry of Agriculture (financing)
Product Board of Horticulture (financing)
Stichting Energy Leverende kas (financing)