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ADRI BOM-LEMSTRA, GLASTUINBOUW NEDERLAND:

'Greenhouse horticulture will reap the 
benefits of the energy crisis in the long run'

"What if we, as a greenhouse horticultural sector, will soon no longer have any gas at our disposal? That was the key question in recent months," says Adri Bom-Lemstra. The chairman of Glastuinbouw Nederland, the leading entrepreneurial network in the Dutch greenhouse horticulture sector, will give a presentation during GreenTech Amsterdam about the energy supply in greenhouse horticulture and the required energy transition. "It will indeed be a challenge to replenish European gas supplies in time for the coming winter. But there is also good news. An interdepartmental working group led by the Ministry of Economic Affairs has drawn up a plan for scaling down, to determine who should get rid of the gas and when, in the event of a shortage. And greenhouse horticulture is the last to turn, together with consumers. This is thanks to the fact that we also supply electricity back to the grid with our CHPs. So that's a good thing." 

Nevertheless, Bom-Lemstra emphasizes that the ambition of Dutch horticulture to be energy neutral by 2040 remains intact. This challenge must be achieved on the one hand by saving on gas - through innovative techniques and cultivation methods - and on the other by making the switch to sustainable energy. "You can see that, due to the high gas prices, there has been much more interest in energy-saving techniques. Every grower is looking for ways to save. The concern is that, due to the high energy costs, there is not enough financial scope to invest in innovation."

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Photo Courtesy of GreenTech

Source: GreenTech