In Greenhouse in Transition, researchers from the Netherlands and the United States are exploring more sustainable greenhouse designs, more efficient growing systems and ways to connect greenhouses with their surroundings, for example by exchanging water and waste heat with farms and industrial sites.
Cameras and sensors, automated climate control and energy-efficient lighting: many Dutch greenhouses are equipped with high-tech systems. These help growers optimise plant growth while reducing energy use and costs. But more is needed to make greenhouse horticulture fit for the future, says Leo Marcelis, Professor of Horticulture and Product Physiology. Greenhouse in Transition, a project led by Wageningen University & Research (WUR), therefore takes a broad approach.
“In addition to energy, the project also looks at aspects such as water and nutrients,” says Marcelis. “There are still many opportunities to make greenhouse horticulture more sustainable, for example by reusing waste streams wherever possible. Sustainability also has a social dimension. Working conditions are not equally good everywhere. Our expertise can help improve them, for example by investigating where technology could take over physically demanding or complex tasks.”