Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

In 2017, Canada had 887 commercial greenhouse vegetable operations producing 634,000 metric tonnes of vegetables producing a farm gate value of $1.4B. The government anticipates a continued steady increase in an upward productivity trend for multi-decades. The Alberta Greenhouse Industry encompasses around 151.0 hectares producing about 2547.9 kg CO2e/m2 or 25,478 tons of CO2e due to its activities. To reduce greenhouse gas impacts a greenhouse technology that the Green house industry is seeking a year-round food production greenhouse with a reduced greenhouse gas impact. The diversity of Canada's climate requires extensive study to move toward viable sustainable vegetable greenhouses. The Netherlands have established a goal to create a carbon neutral greenhouse industry by 2050 and they have become the world leaders as they work toward this daunting goal. Carbon neutral greenhouse designs in the Netherlands include seasonal energy storage using ducted air loops through the ground that capture the heat from the change in temperature in the air and the heat of condensation that occurs when the air cools through the loop. Seasonal energy storage allows the greenhouse to operate year-round with reduced energy costs. Scott Builders (Scott) is an Alberta based construction company. They are experiencing a decline in their commercial construction business due to the oil and gas industry downturn coupled with the impacts of Covid-19. To address their current challenges, they want to expand their offerings by designing, constructing, evaluating and finally establishing a feasible a new product offering to the existing agricultural and burgeoning Canadian vegetable greenhouse industry. The Canadian greenhouse vegetable sector is the largest and fastest growing segment of Canadian horticulture and a passive solar greenhouse aligns to provincial and federal strategic priorities by reducing emissions.