Innovative insulation system for large scale greenhouses to cut CO2 and increase productivity

农业产生的温室气体（GHG）占英国的9%，占全球的30%以上。随着人口增长和COVID-19造成的严重物流限制，该国需要更大的农业独立性，并减少该部门的能源需求和碳排放。大型商业温室，特别是那些拥有精密技术（CEA）的温室，可以提高新鲜农产品的生产率，并有可能增加英国国内的产量，但这些系统的初始资本投资和运营成本很高，这可能导致可变的经济投资回报率和低利润率。Envirup保温技术通过新颖的节能高效温室设计，解决了可持续回收的需求。伍尔弗汉普顿大学的建筑环境气候变化创新（BECCI）计划使用基于软件的模型（WUFI Plus）对这项创新进行了初步评估。他们得出结论，Envirup隔热系统的传热率（Uw值）为2.7，明显优于玻璃的5和多壁聚碳酸酯温室的4.8。这样可以延长11%的生长季节，并减少10%的能源成本。降低的运行成本将提高新温室的经济投资回报率，促进新精密技术的发展和采用，这些技术越来越多地被评估用于该部门，并增加温室种植的作物范围。面板的刚性结构由易于回收的聚合物制成，所需的玻璃和聚碳酸酯板所需的铝框架明显减少，该产品允许更多的光线，降低建筑成本，更安全的墙壁，以承受恶劣的天气条件。这一创新可以促进低碳、低能源、高效的大规模温室农业的发展，包括可控环境农业（CEA）系统。除了帮助英国增加国内新鲜蔬菜和水果的产量，减少该行业的季节性，这一创新还旨在帮助减少全球温室农业的环境足迹，以解决该行业对全球二氧化碳排放的贡献。增加本地生产还将减少在全球范围内运输新鲜农产品的需求，并减少冷藏和运输过程中的排放，同时还能解决零售商和消费者对食品来源和“低食品里程”产品的担忧。该项目汇集了创新者、行业专家、系统制造商和消费者的观点，进行详细的可行性研究，定义有吸引力的商业模式，技术设计集，开展进一步的软件建模，并为英国和国际商业化计划奠定基础。

Agriculture produces 9% of the UK's greenhouse gases (GHG) and over 30% of GHG globally. With growing population and stark logistical limitations created by COVID-19 the nation needs greater agricultural independence and to reduce the sectors energy needs and carbon emissions. Large-scale commercial greenhouses, especially those with precision technologies (CEA), allow greater productivity of fresh produces and have potential to increase the UK domestic production, but these systems have a high initial capital investment and operations costs, which can result in variable economic return-on-investment and low margins.The Envirup insulation technology addresses the need for sustainable recovery with a novel design for energy-efficient cost-effective greenhouses. An initial assessment of the innovation was conducted by the University of Wolverhampton's Built Environment Climate Change Innovations (BECCI) initiative using software-based model (WUFI Plus). They concluded that the Envirup insulation system rate of heat-transfer (Uw value) of 2.7 compares significantly better than 5 for glass and 4.8 for multi-wall polycarbonate greenhouses. This could increase the growing season by 11% and reduce energy costs by 10%. The reduced running costs will increase economic return-on-investment in new greenhouses and leverage development and uptake of new precision-technologies increasingly being evaluated for use in this sector, and increase the range of crops grown in greenhouses.The rigid structure of the panel, made from easily recyclable polymers, requires significantly less of the aluminium framing required by glass and polycarbonate sheeting, the product allows in more light and reduced construction costs and more secure walling to withstand challenging weather conditions.This innovation could unlock the growth of low carbon, low energy, highly efficient large-scale greenhouse-based UK agriculture, including Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) systems. In addition to helping the UK to increase domestic production of fresh vegetables and fruits and reducing the seasonality of the sector, this innovation seeks help reduce the environmental footprint of greenhouse-based agriculture around world to tackle the sectors contribution to global CO2 emissions. Increasing local production will also reduce the need to transport fresh produces across the planet, and reduce emissions from cold storage and transportation too, as well as answering retailers and consumers concerns with food provenance and 'low food-miles' products.This project brings together the innovator, industry specialist, system manufacturers and consumer perspective to carry out detailed feasibility study, define attractive business model, technical design set, carry out further software modelling and set the foundations for a UK and international commercialisation plan.