Dutch deftness

After six intense days on a Dutch sustainable horticulture tour in October 2010, I returned to North America with a much better understanding of how intently these growers are focused on innovation.

I was one of 10 attendees of the Sustainability Initiative (www.thesustainabilityinitiative.com). Our tour got a behind-the-scenes look at high-tech greenhouses, research facilities and distribution centers. Some of the topics presented were heating and cooling, LED lighting, biological control and robotics. The pilot project, hosted by the Office of the Dutch Agricultural Counselor in Washington, D.C., was structured to examine the role of sustainability innovation in the changing business of horticulture.

Collectively, our group gave Dutch growers high marks for technology, innovation, willingness to change, readiness to explore new ideas and communication on the professional and technical levels. Gene Giacomelli, director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC) at the University of Arizona, praised the Dutch sector for “Having the capability to turn an idea into a reality, almost overnight…”

Here’s a sampling of some of the most interesting sites and technologies I experienced.
 

Research
TNO is an independent research institute, which was founded by the Dutch government to help the country’s businesses (not just green industry) innovate. Among the 4,000 TNO researchers are 50 greenhouse horticulture specialists.
Two clever green-industry projects at TNO are:

• A feasibility study for a 5 hectare floating greenhouse.
• Development of a high-speed 3D x-ray sorting machine which sorts amaryllis bulbs by number of flowers.

Wageningen University and Research Center is the leading research institute for international greenhouse production. This organization has projects of all sorts, from energy efficiency, to irrigation and from glazing to pest control. But my favorite project was the greenhouses as an energy source research.

The Dutch greenhouse sector aims to have only climate-neutral greenhouses built after 2020. The sector also is striving to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 48 percent.

“The concept of the greenhouse as a source of energy has enormous potential,” said Nico van Ruiten, chairman of the steering committee for the program. “After all, sunlight is an inexhaustible source of energy, and a greenhouse captures more solar energy than it can use.”

While there are some good results showing up from experiments (less energy consumed and higher yields/better quality), there are also some drawbacks (high costs and adjustments required because of the changing conditions).

• The Sunergy greenhouse was designed to obtain the greatest possible light transmission. Sunlight that enters the greenhouse is absorbed by plants and heats the greenhouse air. During the summer, this energy can be collected from the greenhouse air through heat exchangers. Heated water is stored in an aquifer until it’s needed in the winter to provide energy to a greenhouse heat pump.  A double screen traps heat to reduce the greenhouse’s own heat consumption.
• The Sun Wind greenhouse features a paneled screen that collects energy in the form of warm water and prevents direct sunlight from entering the greenhouse. The warm water is stored in a special buffer under the greenhouse for use during winter.
• The FlowDeck greenhouse has a roof that consists of a double-layered “flowdeck” that is better insulated than a standard glass greenhouse. During sunny periods, pretreated water can flow between these layers to improve light transmission to benefit the crop. The greenhouse roof also collects heat, which keeps the temperatures cooler and lowers the humidity. The heated water is stored in an aquifer for reuse in the winter.
   

For more:  www.greenhousehorticulture.wur.nl.

Tomatoes
Vegetable production in the Netherlands is quite profitable – the product is shipped all over Europe. At Greenpack, a tomato packaging and distribution center, the company is focused on innovation and sustainability. Greenpack’s building is designed after the closed greenhouse principle, with its heat and cold sources almost 500 feet underground. Hot and cold water runs through tubes in the floor to heat and cool the building without having to buy energy.
 

For more:  www.green-pack.nl.
 

Lans, a tomato grower, focuses on saving energy through the use of cogeneration plants. The company’s cogen plant is fired with natural gas and it generates electricity for supplemental lighting, as well as the heat and CO2 needed for cultivation of crops. Surplus electricity is supplied to the grid. Cogeneration plants make much more efficient use of gas compared to power stations. The cogen plant’s cooling water is used to heat the glasshouses, while power stations discharge this heat as waste.

For more:  www.lans.nl

Orchids
Ter Laak Orchids, has a new and quite impressive 78,500-square-meter greenhouse. The grower produces four million potted Phalaenopsis plants each year.

Sustainability is the basis of Ter Laak’s management approach, according to Eduard Ter Laak, one of the company owners.

“That’s why we’ve invested in the most modern techniques for our new location. The solar panels on our external screen are extremely innovative and our fully insulated glasshouse facades, three internal screens, heat and cold energy sources, heat pump and cogeneration (CHP) with a flue gas cleaner have all led to energy savings and ultimately a reduction in CO2 emissions,” he said.

Together with a supplier, Ter Laak developed a pot that contains 25 percent less plastic, but still meets the grower’s quality requirements. The grower also issues an annual sustainability report.

Besides state-of-the-art sustainability equipment, Ter Laak also uses robotic people movers, high-tech sorting machines with cameras and pot spacing machines.

For more:  www.terlaak-orchidee.nl.