NL: Last window pane placed on Daylight Greenhouse Ter Laak Orchids

The people who were involved in this project milestone had to look up high to see the installation of the last roof pane well, as the ridge of the greenhouse is 13.5 meters high. Approximately 20% of the new Daylight Greenhouse consists of a high section where Ter Laak will place a second layer of cultivation on a total area of more than 9,600 m². The rest of the greenhouse, about 4 hectares, has a slightly lower ridge height of just over 10 meters.

The roof pane that was placed by Ter Laak and Van den Boogaard is just one of a total of 6,500 glass panes equipped with Fresnel lenses. These lenses have been specially developed for the Daylight Greenhouse and generate approximately 130 m³ of natural gas equivalents in solar heat per lens pane of 2.60 m x 1.50 m from mid-April. Ter Laak will use the generated solar heat to heat the existing and new greenhouses.

 

The Daylight Greenhouse at Ter Laak is expected to generate 7,500 MWh of solar heat annually via the special lenses. In addition, the greenhouse also uses considerably less gas by using insulating glass in the roof and highly insulating sandwich panels in the outside walls combined with an active dehumidification installation, based on outside air intake (Next Generation Growing). As a result, the Daylight Greenhouse consumes around 25% less gas per m2 per year compared to other modern greenhouses.

 

The Daylight Greenhouse and the associated energy systems can make an important contribution to making pot plant and cut flower cultivation more sustainable. The concept therefore fits seamlessly in the ambition of the greenhouse horticulture sector to reduce CO2 emissions. The objective of the greenhouse horticulture sector to realize a fully sustainable and economically viable energy supply by 2050 is coming a step closer with this greenhouse. 

During the past period, Ter Laak Orchids, along with Technokas and Bode Project- en Ingenieursbureau have invested a lot of time in the further development of this type of greenhouse. In addition, the parties also examined the financial feasibility of such projects. This project was also made possible thanks to financial support from the Top Sector Energy and a grant from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

There's more good news for the Dutch growers: Ter Laak Orchids is one of the nine finalists of the AIPH International Grower of the Year Awards. On Tuesday 23 January 2018 at the IPM Essen, Germany, the industry will come together for the award ceremony, where one of the finalists will become the AIPH International Grower of the Year 2018.