Agriculture is one of the top five carbon intensive sectors! However, the decarbonization of this sector is progressing at an alarmingly slow rate. Taking a huge stride in this direction, Greencoat Capital (an asset managing company dedicated to the resource efficiency and renewable energy sectors), UK is investing 120 million to construct UK’s largest greenhouses near Norwich and Bury St. Edmunds.
The greenhouses in UK are among the largest ones constructed, each covering more than 13 hectares.Greenhouses are designed to capture and store solar radiation, thereby increasing air temperature and accelerating plant growth. In Europe, solar radiation alone cannot provide sufficient energy to reach optimal growing temperatures throughout the day. To overcome this, greenhouses generally utilize gas-fired boilers to increase the temperature.
The proposed advanced greenhouses will be warmed via heat pumps through residual heat from nearby water recycling centres. Further, electricity for the heat pumps will be provided by a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, with waste heat from the CHP providing further warmth for the greenhouses.