SmartGreens: Intelligent Greenhouse
SmartGreens was an 18 month Inonovate UK project (2021-2022) grant awarded to Green Lab as part a collaboration with University of Nottingham, Kroptek Ltd, Extreme Low Energy Ltd, Ebtech Glasshouse systems and Geo Green Power Ltd. The project was to design, develop, and field trial an innovative indoor farm for intensive food production based on a modular structure incorporating innovative environmental and smart technologies to reduce carbon footprint and operating cost.
The SmartGreens concept was a novel combination of proven and new technologies, including solar PV vacuum glass, smart LED lighting, PCM passive cooling, thermoelectric heat pump powered by PV-DC, CO2 carbon capture, hydroponic growing system with smart control technologies to provide a novel approach to energy-efficient food production.
Although the project focused on crop production in the UK, the SmartGreens farm largely decouples food production from climatic conditions and thus lends itself to exploitation worldwide.
The projecs main focused was to combine the skill sets and bespoke technologies of each partner to develop a unique capabiliy in the UK to grow crops using renewable energy as the primary source of power, leveraging a unique solar glass and energy efficient powwer management systems.
Green Lab led three aspects of the project: (i) the interior greenhouse design and operational physical sructures required for the production of crops, (ii) a bespoke control and sensor system to measure and track crop growth cycles using mobile applications to report, track and monitor aspects of the greenhouse environmental conditions, (iii) All aspects of horticulural and botanical plant selection for germination trials, seedling preparation and final crop selection.
The project ended on the 30th November 2022.