During the third edition of the HortiHeroes Hackathon 2025, themed "Hack the Greenhouse: Energy Edition", 35 Dutch students teamed up to tackle one of the biggest challenges in horticulture today: how can we turn a greenhouse from an energy consumer into an energy producer, without compromising crop quality?
After a full day of brainstorming, teamwork and pitching, the jury selected Team BoerenKas as this year's winner. Their idea cleverly combines livestock farming with greenhouse horticulture: a greenhouse built on top of a barn, where grass is grown using a Dyson system. The cows' manure is used to produce natural fertilizer and green energy, while heat, electricity and CO₂ are all recycled locally in a circular system.
The jury, consisting of Bart van Meurs (Division Q), Frank Binnekamp (Juva), Liesanne Wieleman (Glastuinbouw Nederland – Kas als Energiebron) and Marjolijn van Valkenhoef (Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality), praised the concept for its circular and multifunctional design. The winning team, made up of Simone, Demien, Stan and Stefano from Wageningen University & Research, MBO Westland and InHolland Delft, took home a €500 prize.
"We were impressed by all the creative ideas and strong pitches," said Liesanne Wieleman on behalf of the jury. "BoerenKas stood out as both circular and multifunctional. The combination of fermentation, biogas, and integrated farming is innovative, imaginative and potentially game-changing for the sector."
© HortiHeroes
Energy through collaboration
The hackathon brought together participants from six different educational institutions, representing a wide range of disciplines — from technology and crop science to business and sustainability. Guided by experts from organizations such as Glastuinbouw Nederland, Kas als Energiebron, Division Q, Priva, Royal Brinkman, bQurius, Leen Middelburg Chrysanten and Juva, the students worked intensively to develop tangible, sustainable and economically viable energy solutions within a single day.
"There was so much energy, courage and collaboration," said Nomi Prins of HortiHeroes. "The students showed how innovation happens when you share ideas, visualize them and dare to think differently. That's exactly the spirit that drives our sector forward. It was great to see that many were already talking about internships and startup ideas afterward."
This year's challenge, "Hack the Greenhouse: Energy Edition", addressed a pressing issue in modern horticulture — how to make the greenhouse of the future not just energy-efficient, but energy-positive. By involving students in this quest, HortiHeroes connects young talent with the horticultural sector, inspiring them to pursue internships, graduation projects or careers in the Food & Flower industry — or perhaps even start their own ventures to help shape the next wave of innovation.
© HortiHeroes
Organization & partners
The hackathon was organized by HortiHeroes, in collaboration with Greenport HortiCampus Katapult Program, MBO Westland, and InHolland. The event is made possible by DivisionQ, Koppert Cress, Royal Brinkman, Dutch Flower Group, Rabobank, Priva, Kas als Energiebron, Glastuinbouw Nederland, Greenport West-Holland, JUVA & Verkade Klimaat.
For more information:
HortiHeroes
[email protected]
https://hortiheroes.com/
