Hydrolife Magazine October/November 2016 (USA Edition)

enjoy
standard greenhouse, but still relies on natural light.
Some growers are taking this one step further and
completely enclosing the indoor environment. Sealed
greenhouses are an emerging trend that allows
for even greater control over climate conditions.
These structures reduce or eliminate ventilation,
so the crops are not constantly exposed to foreign
contaminants like molds and pests from outside.
Dehumidifiers, heat exchangers, or energy-efficient
heating and cooling systems control the climate,
providing air circulating and a CO 2-rich environment
without ventilation.
Adding to this, growers are integrating new lighting
technologies to create consistent light levels and
a precisely controlled photoperiod. Innovative
lighting and control technologies can respond to
outdoor conditions, only supplementing as much
light as needed. For example, on a cloudy day, a
sensor detects the light levels in the greenhouse. If
below peak intensity, controls automatically turn
on supplemental lighting, but automated dimmers
only turn lights on as much as needed. In this way,
greenhouse growers can take advantage of natural
sunlight as much as possible while still ensuring
consistent peak intensity lighting, eliminating one
more disadvantage of the greenhouse grow.
“HIGH-TECH greenhouses now sit squarely in
the middle between the indoor and outdoor
grow, blending the best of both worlds.”
Other technologies involve motors that
automatically raise and lower lights to provide
intense lighting when they are on, and minimize
shading when the lights are off. Finally, automated
light deprivation systems seal tightly to the
greenhouse frame, creating 100 per cent blackout
conditions equivalent to an indoor growroom.
With these advances, high-tech greenhouses now
sit squarely in the middle between the indoor and
outdoor grow, blending the best of both worlds
while eliminating many of the sacrifices of each.
As growers continue to demand more controlled,
automated, efficient and durable structures, hybrid
greenhouses will certainly be here to stay. Moreover,
they will evolve along with the industry, carving out
a significant niche in the spectrum of structures, and
inching growers one step closer to that perfect grow.
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grow. heal. live. enjoy.
Lindsey Schiller studied at the University of Arizona’s
Controlled Environment Agriculture Center before
delving into sustainable greenhouse design after she
moved to Colorado. In 2011, she co-founded Ceres
Greenhouse Solutions to enable people to design and
build their own sustainable, year-round greenhouses.
She writes extensively on greenhouse technology and
year-round growing through the Ceres blog. She is
also the author of The Year-Round Solar Greenhouse:
How to Design and Build a Net-Zero Energy
Greenhouse (New Society Publishers).
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