DelFrescoPure generates power for SSL, heat for plants, and nutrients
DelFrescoPure has announced the expansion of its cogeneration system, also called a combined heat and power (CHP) system, that allows the grower located in Kingsville, ON, Canada to generate electricity to power its horticultural solid-state lighting (SSL) in a controlled environment agriculture (CEA) application. The CHP system produces heat and carbon dioxide (CO2) as by-products that the grower uses to heat greenhouses and fertilize plants. The combined efficiency of the systems makes it a money saver for the grower and reduces the environmental impact.
DelFrescoPure supplies tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans, eggplants, and strawberries to the local market year round. The grower is adding 25 acres of space to its facility and will expand the CHP systems from 6.5 MW to more than 10 MW. The grower will work with Martin Energy of Tipton, MO on the project — a company that specializes in distributed power generation technology.
“DelFrescoPure is excited to increase our cogeneration power units,” said Carl Mastronardi, president of DelFrescoPure. “We are very pleased to be working with Martin Energy again to install the new CHP technology and solutions they offer. The results from using the cogeneration technology over the past three years have been great. We look forward to expanding the system so we can continue to provide fresh produce all year long.”
The grower said the CHP system burns natural gas to generate the electricity. That energy conversion is only 40% efficient. But if you add heat recovery to the system, the total efficiency is 90%. And the exhaust gas can be treated to yield nutrients for the plants. The CHP systems further assure the grower of a reliable power supply with no voltage fluctuations.
The sustainability aspects of such an investment run deeper than you might first think. Clearly, the heat capture minimizes energy consumption needed to maintain the microclimate in the greenhouse 365 days. And that year-round production means that produce from warmer climates is not transported long distances in the winter.
We are hearing more about sustainable practices in horticultural lighting and AgTech on a regular basis these days. In general, horticultural lighting based on inherently efficient LED sources decreases energy usage relative to legacy lighting. Moreover, indoor growing techniques such as vertical farming and supplemental SSL in greenhouses allow localized vegetable and fruit production, reducing the economic and environmental impacts of transportation.
Still, there are many more ways to add to the sustainability story, as DelFrescoPure makes clear. We recently learned of a grower operating in IJsselmuiden, the Netherlands that had installed SSL from Fluence by Osram. Gebroeders Vahl BV grows cucumbers in a 10.1-hectare facility. A transition to SSL in part of the facility had allowed the grower to improve yield due to the broad spectrum of the LED-based sources.
We also learned that the grower is using geothermal energy to maintain the microclimate in its greenhouses. Water from 1800m below ground at the greenhouse site is pumped to the surface. The 70°C water is ultimately pumped to a geothermal boiler or heat exchanger. Ultimately, the water is cooled and returned to the aquifer via a separate injection well. The grower has said that the geothermal well has reduced its natural gas consumption by 80%.
We are planning a session on sustainability for our HortiCann Light + Tech event that will be held virtually on Sept. 28–29, 2021. We will learn about some solar-based techniques for delivering sustainability plus more about the increasing technology component or AgTech that ranges to the use of artificial intelligence to control growing operations.
LEDs Magazine chief editor MAURY WRIGHT is an electronics engineer turned technology journalist, who has focused specifically on the LED & Lighting industry for the past decade.
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Maury Wright | Editor in Chief
Maury Wright is an electronics engineer turned technology journalist, who has focused specifically on the LED & Lighting industry for the past decade. Wright first wrote for LEDs Magazine as a contractor in 2010, and took over as Editor-in-Chief in 2012. He has broad experience in technology areas ranging from microprocessors to digital media to wireless networks that he gained over 30 years in the trade press. Wright has experience running global editorial operations, such as during his tenure as worldwide editorial director of EDN Magazine, and has been instrumental in launching publication websites going back to the earliest days of the Internet. Wright has won numerous industry awards, including multiple ASBPE national awards for B2B journalism excellence, and has received finalist recognition for LEDs Magazine in the FOLIO Eddie Awards. He received a BS in electrical engineering from Auburn University.
