Summer is here again, and Dutch growers can expect CO2 delivery problems once more. This is the case again this year, Glastuinbouw Nederland reports. Deliveries via the OCAP pipelines and of liquid CO2 by truck are limited in almost all areas.
The reasons for the restrictions are, on the one hand, the higher demand for CO2 due to the good weather and the reduced use of CHP due to a poorer spark spread (more electricity from sun and wind). On the other hand, there are problems and disruptions at the sources of CO2.
Production loss
As an essential building block in photosynthesis, growers and their crops cannot do without CO2. A brief period without it is manageable, but after several days, it has a serious impact on production, Willem Valstar of Stargrow Consultancy has calculated. "It is not necessarily a disaster for all growers, but depending on the different circumstances and the type of cultivation, a production loss of five to ten percent may occur. And if the CO2 values drop below the current outside values of about 370-400 ppm, say about 250 ppm, due to a supply problem, the production loss can even run up to 20 percent."
Additional heating makes no sense in warm weather
When market prices are low in times of CO2 shortages, it hurts growers a little less, but if the grower misses out on a good price due to lower production, it can be very costly. And when it is hot, the grower has few alternatives. "It makes no sense to burn additional fuel and produce your own CO2 because the extra heat that comes with it is of no use to the grower when outside temperatures are high.
Securing supply and being frugal
That is why Glastuinbouw Nederland has been raising the CO2 issue with growers for years. The sector is now hoping for improvements in a new SDE++ round, about which more should be known soon.
At the same time, there is a threat, because serious thought is also being given to the storage of CO2 in the North Sea soil. That could have a negative impact on greenhouse horticulture.
In the meantime, Glastuinbouw Nederland is reminding growers to be careful with the CO2 that is still available. The Greenhouse as a Source of Energy program and the New Cultivation program helps growers to keep as much valuable CO2 in the greenhouse as possible.