TECHNICAL

PLANT EMPOWERMENT (GPE), Screen materials

A good screen lets a certain amount of moisture pass
thinking.) In addition, the screen can be opened 10 or 20%
(not just a crack) when it is not too cold outside. Of course,

A NEW WAY OF GROWING

through to the compartment above the screen. This some energy is lost, but the advantage of the warmer plant
reduces the need for gapping and venting for humidity heads outweighs the disadvantages.
control, and thus saves energy. A good screen also More details and further actions such as the use of air
has an ‘anti-condense’ attribute. This does not prevent movement and vertical fans will be discussed in a following
condensation, but it makes that condensation form a thin article.
Words by Elly Nederhoff, [email protected]
film of water on the screen instead of large droplets that
fall from the screen onto the plants. *Geelen, Peter A M, Voogt, Jan O, van Weel, Peter A,
Plant Empowerment: The Basic Principles, 2018,
It is time to introduce a new approach named Energy screen creates warmer plants
One more thing: greenhouses located in cold winter www.plantempowerment.com
‘Growing by Plant Empowerment’ (GPE), which The most important tool in GPE would be the energy
screen. A screen reduces the amount of energy needed
climates overseas are fitted with two separate screens:
one transparent and the other a heavy-duty energy saving
aims to grow in an energy efficient way, while for maintaining the required temperature, and more screen. We won’t elaborate on double screens here.
achieving optimum production. importantly, a screen keeps the plant heads warm. This
is because a screen largely blocks the emission of long- Humidity control as it was done
It started in the Netherlands around 2010, when the Dutch wave radiation (heat radiation) from the plants to the cold Energy consumption depends a lot on how the humidity
greenhouse industry was compelled to save more energy greenhouse roof. It may seem a trivial detail, but it makes a is controlled. After all, reducing humidity requires a lot
to comply with European climate change agreements. significant difference. more energy than maintaining the temperature, especially
Energy efficiency had improved over several decades, but in milder climates. Humidity control in GPE differs from
On cold nights, in a greenhouse without a screen, plant
the energy consumption had not declined sufficiently. It the traditional way. Traditionally, humidity is reduced by
heads get very cold, and therefore do not transpire any
was decided that drastic measures were needed, because concurrent heating and venting, and opening a small gap
water. Hence the heads miss out on water supply from the
if you keep doing what you are doing, you keep getting the in a screen. Unfortunately, concurrent heating and venting
roots which contains essential nutrients such as calcium.
same result. increases the transpiration (which increases humidity!) and
This in turn, causes calcium deficiency in growing points,
Several research teams developed new ways of climate leading to brown tips in young leaves and possibly gapping creates cold spots. Some growers opt not to use
control, including semi-closed greenhouses, HNT blossom-end rot later in the fruit. Also, cold plant heads the screen at all when the humidity gets too high, so they
(‘the New Way of Growing’), GPE (‘Growing by Plant can get damp from condensation, and are thus prone to give up on potential energy saving on those nights.
Empowerment’) and more, with overlaps between each fungal diseases. In addition, non-transpiring plant heads
Humidity control in GPE
approach. Growers who adopted the new concepts get wet from guttation (caused by root pressure), leading
obtained markedly better energy efficiency, yield and to diseases. Proper use of an energy screen avoids all this, GPE aims to use the screen as much as possible (in
fruit quality. which is good for plant health and fruit quality, including cold winter conditions). If a transparent screen is used,
reduced blossom-end rot. it can stay closed several hours of the day (see above).
All these approaches are very comprehensive, for instance, Non-transparent screens should be used at night only
GPE is described in a 300-page book.* In this article we Screening at daytime and opened shortly after sunrise (not before sunrise, for
can only scratch the surface. Three elements of GPE are reasons described above).
The type of screen material used is very important. A
briefly outlined: screens, plant temperature and humidity
(semi-)transparent screen can be used night and day. In In GPE, the humidity problem is avoided by using
control.
GPE, a transparent screen is closed in the morning until screen material that lets moisture through, and by using
‘Growing by plant empowerment’ (GPE) in a nutshell the sun is powerful enough to maintain the required ventilation above the screen. Then the moisture travels
GPE is based on maintaining the balances for water, temperature. This is at about 250 Watt/m2 solar radiation, to the upper compartment, where it condenses against
measured outside with a pyranometer. This screen can be PE requires some extra measurements: at least an extra box for
energy and CO2 in the plant and in the greenhouse. the cold glass or goes out. (GPE uses ventilation on wind temperature and humidity above the screen, and a plant temperature
Key elements of GPE are: (1) uniform climate, (2) smart closed again some time before sunset. side and then leeside, which is different from traditional sensor
humidity control, (3) using energy screen(s), (4) reduced In the traditional way, even transparent screens were
heat emission, (5) air movement. opened before sunrise. This created a substantial spike
GPE requires some serious investment, namely in an in energy use early in the morning, because the heating
energy screen, air fans and some extra sensors, including system had to warm up the air in the growing space as well apexgreenhouses.co.nz | [email protected] | 0800 100 618
a leaf temperature sensor, thermo-camera, and an extra as in the cold top compartment above the screen. Also,
temperature and humidity sensor above the screen. This it had to lift the temperature from the night level to the
comes on top of the normal sensors for temperature, daytime level. Skipping this heating boost every morning
humidity and CO2 near the plants, and the normal weather can save an enormous amount of energy. The screen
sensors. Another requirement is the grower’s commitment should not be closed the whole day though, as that makes
and time for understanding the underlying physics and plants soft and roots lazy.
plant physiology.
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44 NZGROWER : FEBRUARY 2021 NZGROWER : FEBRUARY 2021 45