The RE-Greenhouse pilot monitored by the CTIFL in Pluzunet, Brittany (France) focuses on the implementation of renewable energy sources (RES) for heating commercial greenhouse. This pilot greenhouse uses energy produced by factories (incinerator) and will be involved as experimental and demonstrational site for various stakeholders.
CTIFL is a French applied research center on fruits and vegetables specialized in the management of greenhouse crops, energy efficiency and carbon footprint. It plays a major role in the Re-Greenhouse project by providing valuable insights and data from its pilot greenhouse with the support of Cerafel (association of grower organizations). Moreover, the CTIFL institute implements a transnational measurement plan and contributes to the development of the greenhouse RES decision tool to help greenhouse holders in integrating RES into their operations.
Context of heated greenhouses in France
In France, heated greenhouses are mainly used to grow tomatoes and cucumbers that approximately represents 1,130 ha with an energy consumption around 340 kWh m² year-1. Natural gas is the main energy source used by 80% of the total surface area. Sustainable energy is provided by wood at 12% and by residual energy from factories at 6%. Heating remains the second largest cost (around 30% of total costs), after labor, because energy prices continually increase.
Characteristics of the CTIFL pilot site
The pilot site is a 23 600 m² commercial glasshouses located in Pluzunet, Brittany region. The glasshouses, built in 1998 and 2020, are equipped with thermal screens and grow organic tomatoes.
Since 2019, the greenhouses have been heated by Valorys factory (incinerator) providing warm water between 55 and 59 °C. The warm water is distributed through pipe-rail system in the ground.
The trusses of tomatoes are sold under the Prince de Bretagne brand.
Objective of the pilot
This pilot will demonstrate the potential of energy provided by factories to grow crops in greenhouses. For French growers, it is crucial to discover the benefits and disadvantages of this solution for a scale deployment.
Factsheet
View the fact sheet on the CTIFL pilot:
Contact details:
- Ariane Grisey, CTIFL – ariane.grisey@ctifl.fr
- Eric Brajeul, CTIFL – eric.brajeul@ctifl.fr
- Landry Rossdeutsch, CTIFL – landry.rossdeutsch@ctifl.fr
- Charlène Richard Breyne, CERAFEL – c.richardbreyne@cerafel.com