The United Kingdom is all set to take low-carbon farming to the next level with it’s two, newly constructed, sustainable, and hi-tech greenhouses in Norfolk and Suffolk. It is a known fact that the UK produces less than 50% of its food domestically. With the new greenhouse technologies, the figure can change, making the country self-sufficient. The greenhouses will primarily produce tomatoes, satisfying 10% of the countries tomato requirements.
During energy production, transportation, and use, there has always been a huge loss of energy. The Lawrence Livemore National Laboratory, in 2019, released a flowchart showing the energy consumption of the United States. Of the total energy produced in the US, 67.5% was accounted for as ‘rejected energy’. Though the flowchart was specific to the US, every country, during energy production, wastes energy. The waste energy is usually released into the environment in the form of heat, making the environment unstable and polluted.
Imagine if we could use this ‘waste energy’ as a sustainable energy source. Wouldn’t that be incredible? This is exactly what the two hi-tech greenhouses in the UK can do.
EAST ANGLIA GREENHOUSE PROJECT
The United Kingdom has installed the world’s first greenhouse that uses waste heat from water treatment plants in East Anglia to produce food for the country. Since this greenhouse is using waste heat to produce food, it not only reduces the pressure on the environment but also the need for the country to import food. These greenhouse structures can reduce carbon emissions by a whopping 75%. This is a step that could revolutionize the country’s agriculture sector.
In an interview with BBC, Ben Alexander, Senior Development Manager Low Carbon Farming, stated that this greenhouse is one of the largest in the UK, and for every hectare of normal land, the greenhouse can produce 10 times more food, utilizing 10 times less water.
Using GIS mapping 43 water treatment plants have been identified around the country for this use.
Apart from the use of waste heat energy, the greenhouse is equipped with a diffused glass roof which enables the incoming solar radiations to spread evenly across the crops. Additionally, the roof also allows rainwater harvesting, with the collected water being used on the crops. Computer-driven farming is a major part of this greenhouse since it is armed with AI technology that controls several functions.
This new step revolutionizes agriculture in the UK helping make the country self-sufficient and promote low-carbon farming.
