Controlled environment agriculture facilities need to continue reducing energy consumption to remain competitive in the market and meet consumer expectations. New advances have been reported by researchers collaborating with commercial scale facilities, including the use of CO2 enrichment as low-energy alternative to using high light and fossil-fuel heating. An understanding of vapor pressure deficit has allowed growers to reduce air-conditioning cost of indoor farms by growing at higher temperatures. Staggering cropping schedules and new smart lighting controls will be discussed, as well as new research on maintaining the plant balances using energy and shade curtains in the greenhouse. Attendees will gain an understanding of methods they can use right now and equipment or software to consider for their next upgrade.
Topical areas include:
New techniques in lighting
Selecting & implementing energy curtains
Using CO2 enrichment to balance energy
Integrating controls for smart energy efficiency
New research ready for commercial use
Target audience:
Cultivators
Operations & Facility Staff
Design & Construction Partners
Property Owners
Utility & Government Representatives
| Funded with support from: |  |
| California Efficient Yields: New Strategies for Energy Reduction in Greenhouses and Indoor Farms (26.2 MB) | Download | ||
Rob has over 30 years of experience in plant growth facility management, plant research and commercial production. At Purdue University, he brought online and managed a computer- controlled 40,000 ft 2 research facility, made up of 25 greenhouses and over 60 growth chambers and grow rooms. He was responsible for hundreds of CEA studies involving flowering, food and medicinal species. He served on design teams for greenhouse projects and one of the first automated machine-vision phenotyping centers in the country. In his consulting role, he supported major hydroponic produce growers AeroFarms and Bright Farms; Big Ag companies Dow AgroSciences, Novozymes and Indigo Ag; and several cannabis operations including Clade9. He wrote cultivation plans for cannabis licenses awarded in Missouri and West Virginia.
Rob’s protocols for optimizing greenhouse production have been downloaded over 70,000 times in 104 countries. He participated in the publication, A Practical Guide to Containment: Plant Biosafety in Research Greenhouses, recognized throughout the world as a primary resource for safe production of genetically modified crops. In 2016, he was a member of the International Committee for Controlled Environment Guidelines that published Guidelines for Measuring and Reporting Environmental Parameters for Experiments in Greenhouse Facilities, the seminal document of quality assurance protocols for plant science research.
In his free time, Rob enjoys gardening, growing microgreens under LEDs, baking and winning croquet matches against his three grown children.
Rob Hanifin is a climate consultant. He focuses on technical support to greenhouse growers in using their curtains to help optimize their greenhouse climate. Rob worked for Ludvig Svensson for six years and now serves the industry as an independent consultant Overall, Rob has over ten years experience in CEA.
Founder and President of TSRgrow, Mikhail Sagal is a veteran of the cannabis industry. With over 12 years of experience in LED lighting solutions and over 29 issued patents, Mikhail is a pioneer in LED lighting and has a proven track record of product innovation and commercialization, as demonstrated by TSRgrow’s TOTALgrow™ Solution.
A longtime player in the space, Mikhail believes the key to success in an increasingly competitive industry is maintaining the culture of collaboration that growers and suppliers have valued for so long. It’s this passion for shared success that has made TSRgrow a trusted partner to commercial growers. With his unique expertise and industry knowledge, Mikhail is frequently called upon to present at industry events and conferences.
Prior to founding TSRgrow in 2009, Mikhail worked for 13 years developing and commercializing thermally conductive plastics with companies worldwide. His technical experience includes thermal management, LED system and product design, manufacturing systems, design for manufacturing, wireless control system and applications in solid state lighting. It was his early understanding of the power of LEDs that led Mikhail to founding TSRgrow, quickly expanding the company beyond lighting to deliver a full horticultural growing solution.
