Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

UCW LABS LTD (hereafter, Farmer's Hive) are partnering the College of New Caledonia (CNC) to research the development of algorithms for optimizing the energy input requirements and thermal performance of greenhouses. The following knowledge will be transferred from CNC to Farmer's Hive: i) a practical method for calculating the total thermal resistance of a greenhouse ii) algorithms to assess heat gain from sunlight radiation and existing thermal storage capacity iii) a fuel converter application to estimate costs and emissions related to various greenhouse heating systems The outcomes of this study will help Farmer's Hive integrate energy data into their existing microclimate assessment package and provide their customers with a complete range of parameters of their growing facilities, with focus on energy information for year-round greenhouse operation. The students participating in this project will gain valuable knowledge in areas such as: i) energy consumption optimization and management, ii) indoor growing systems, and iii) food security and year-round food production.