HUMIDEX. Greenhouse Humidity with Geothermal Energy

Novagric together with 4 companies of the auxiliary industry sector of agriculture, are developing a new R+D+i project, which represents an important milestone in intensive production under plastic, the project has been approved by CEDETI and where the Andalusian Autonomous Administration has given its support and at all times has shown great interest in initiatives of this scope. HUMIDEX is based on the principle of Humidity Level Control as a limiting factor for the competitiveness, employability and export capacity of the agroindustrial cluster.

Objectives

The execution of the project will involve the development of novel technologies within a strategy of collaboration in R+D+i among the members of the consortium, where the research efforts will complement each other in order to achieve the foreseen objectives, which will consist of the following:

• Development of a new greenhouse model that integrates the technological developments covered by the project.
• Optimize the control of humidity and temperature inside the greenhouse by designing a system that provides a suitable climatic environment.
• Reduction of energy costs through the design of a specific geothermal system. The project makes use of geothermal energy, developing a geothermal heat pump, together with conveniently distributed dehumidifiers, in order to reduce humidity, heating and cooling
• Design of a mobile trellis system that maximizes the use of solar radiation -Overcome the limits of seasonal production, increasing production in winter and in the summer period -Selection and evaluation of new predator species and their production, and adequate adaptation to their working environment.
• Development of plant material through tissue culture and micropropagation, as well as conditioning of a climatic system for this purpose.

  The project is at an advanced stage and all the members of the consortium are already making significant progress in all the proposed developments. The duration of the project will be 3 years and the schedule of activities is proceeding as planned. The prototype is being built at the Tecnova Experimental Center, and will be subject to rigorous evaluation and analysis by both the Foundation itself and the UAL.

Project partners

NOVAGRIC (NOVEDADES AGRÍCOLAS, S.A.) AGROBIO ALMERIPLANT SEMILLEROS SISTEMAS DE CALOR ALARCONTROL UNIVERSITY OF ALMERIA TECNOVA FOUNDATION  

Financing

This project has been co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, ERDF, within the Technological Fund Operational Program 2007-2013. EUROPEAN UNION. A way of making Europe.