Energy Management Decision Support Tool for Greenhouse Growers

Climatic changes and energy cost are the main factors contributing to the latest, strong efforts made by manufacturers and growers in obtaining energy demand reductions in greenhouse cultivations. Also in Mediterranean conditions, the lower amount of energy needed to control the greenhouse environment – i.e. compared to Northern Europe requirements – is becoming more and more incisive on the closing balance. Besides, the expected low price level of ornamental plants in the global market suggests caution in investing in new cost-intensive, low-energy consuming greenhouses, in particular in Mediterranean areas. With the aim to provide manufacturers and growers with a simplified decision support system (DSS) for greenhouse energy management, a simulation model has been designed and tested. The system was intended both to evaluate the energy performance of different structures of new greenhouses to be located in specific geographic sites or to estimate the benefits of different upgrading levels of existing greenhouses. The improvements can be selected from a database following cost-growing directories of structure set ups, different energy use or considering the use of alternative fuels, with particular reference to the most available renewable ones. The proposed tool is designed for Italian conditions taking into account three main areas in which ornamental plants production is articulated: Continental Northern Regions (i.e.: Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino Alto-Adige/South Tyrol), Temperate Central Regions (Liguria, Tuscany, Lazio, Campania) and Mediterranean Southern Regions (Apulia, Sicily). Based on existing greenhouse climate models, the proposed tool has been focused on quantifying the energy demand and the relevant cost in current greenhouses or in simulated improved ones varying the structure layout or the management strategy. A foreseen validation campaign in some representative existing commercial greenhouses could verify the effectiveness of the model assumptions. The main tool prototype operations will be presented.