When cold-frame greenhouses and outdoor spaces are not viable for crop production, climate-controlled greenhouses can maximize cultivation activity.
Cannabis demands a tightly controlled environment and continuous production, which leads to a high cost of downtime and a high return on investment for efficiency.
In this article, RII’s Technical Director and members of the organization’s Technical Advisory Council working groups share lessons learned in cannabis production that may be applied to commercial agriculture.
In emerging legal, commercial cannabis markets, the average price per pound can exceed $3,500 per pound.
Dozens of new companies now compete against each other to make the best light recipes with the highest efficacies, while gaining the trust of growers to move on from their high-pressure sodium lamps.
In 2021, there are standards, qualified product libraries, and incentives from efficiency programs. Organizations have developed testing protocols and technical requirements for manufacturers to meet to certify products for listing.
Floor and bench heating systems save heat by losing less heat to the upper ridge of the greenhouse, where nothing grows.
More simple, cost-effective controls options are widely available for smaller growers of all crops as an alternative to massive enterprise greenhouse-type systems. Equipment prices are dropping for sensors and cameras.
Energy screens and shade curtain systems are a cost-effective application of automation for greenhouse producers, which significantly decrease nighttime heat loss, provide shade, and decrease cooling loads on hot sunny days.
Since light deprivation is almost universal in cannabis-controlled envelope greenhouses, these solutions are now available in many more sizes and at a lower cost than before for commercial producers of all crops.
The switch to precision agriculture came naturally, and he has worked on a wide variety of projects in both cannabis and vegetable production, focusing on LED systems, sensors, power systems, and facility design.
She conducts agricultural program implementation, planning, evaluation, and special studies for clients such as the Colorado Energy Office, NYSERDA, and the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
In her work in Vermont, she commissioned HVAC and lighting designs and installed systems in commercial and industrial buildings, including greenhouses and controls systems used for academic research on hemp and other cultivars.