We are now growing our ferns with two daytime and two nighttime periods within 24 hours," says Lennart Bijl of Vitro Plus. In the spring of 2023, they participated in the 'Boost the Grid Challenge' in Burgh-Haamstede, the Netherlands, where they pitched and won the idea of flexible lighting. This means lighting is used when energy is cheap on the day market.
Battery
"Often, these are times when a lot of energy is available," explains Lennart. "This way, we avoid peak periods. Additionally, we also store energy in a battery, which has a capacity of 430 kWh. We do this through our solar panels, of which 554 are installed on the roof of our newest building, but also from the grid. When energy is cheap, we can charge from the grid and use that energy during the lighting period."
Vitro Plus buildings, with the newest building featuring solar panels.
Dynamic lighting
"The plants still receive the same amount of light, only the pattern is adjusted. Within 24 hours, there are two daytime and two nighttime periods, but in total, there are still 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. We don't notice any difference in quality during cultivation, and the same quality is maintained for the ferns that are grown on in our greenhouse in Zierikzee. This applies to both the ferns coming from tissue culture and the ferns from spores, which we sow ourselves. Flexible, or dynamic, lighting has been tested on both categories and is applied to both."
Lennart Bijl and Miranda Meerman of Vitro Plus in one of the 'growing chambers'.
Implementation
At Vitro Plus, they have spent the last 1.5 years testing and mapping the possibilities for large-scale implementation of flexible lighting. They are now at the end of the testing phase, and the results are so positive that it is being implemented in their newest building. Afterward, it will gradually be applied to other buildings, with the goal of having flexible lighting fully implemented across the company by the second quarter of 2025.
The battery
Lennart concludes: "We benefit from both the low energy bill and a happy grid operator, and we maintain the same quality."
For more information:
Vitro Plus
De Roterij 26
4328 BA Burgh-Haamstede, the Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)111 46 80 88
[email protected]
www.vitroplus.nl