Greener greenhouses
Most of the production costs in traditional greenhouse horticulture come from the energy needed to create and maintain the best possible atmosphere for plants to grow in. Crop yields are considerably higher and of better quality, for instance, if the normal level of CO2 is tripled, the humidity level is kept within certain limits, and the temperature is adjusted to suit the plant and its growth stage. The problem is that this can be a rather wasteful process.
The reason is as follows. In order to raise CO2 levels in the greenhouse, fossil fuel is burned and the CO2 in the exhaust gas is used. From time to time, the heat generated in this process can be used or stored, but often it is simply allowed to disperse into the outside air. As plants convert the energy from the sun or artificial lighting in the greenhouse, they produce moisture. This has to be removed, or it will condense on the plants and cause them to rot. The normal way of removing it is by opening the greenhouse windows. However, the result of this is that the CO2 escapes along with the moisture, the fossil fuel energy that was used to produce the CO2 goes to waste, and more fossil fuel needs to be burned to replenish the lost CO2!
Recair is the answer
This problem can be solved by using a combination of a Recair Sensitive core and Recair Enthalpy core. These cores remove the excess humidity in the greenhouse and pass it to the outside air without reducing the temperature or the CO2 level inside the greenhouse. This way, the windows can be kept closed. No heat is lost, all the CO2 that has been produced is used by the plants, and energy costs are reduced. And because the windows are closed, the possibilities of contamination from outside are also drastically reduced, with the result that the use of crop protection substances (like pesticides and fungicides) can be cut by more than 80%. Temperature, humidity and CO2 levels can be accurately controlled and kept uniform, resulting in higher yields, better quality and more precise timing of the crops’ market-readiness.
Why use Recair heat-exchange technology in greenhouses?
- Reduced energy costs;
- Higher yields;
- Easier maintenance of favorable CO2 and humidity levels;
- More efficient use of water;
- Reduced use of pesticides;
- Better quality control of the product.
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