Gebroeders Van Duijn
Grower profile:
Jan van Duijn
Owner
Crop: Eggplant
Location: Westdorpe, the Netherlands
Greenhouse: Venlo, 10 ha
Climate Challenges: Saving energy and controlling the humidity in the greenhouse
Svensson Climate Solutions: Highly transparent Luxous 1147 energy saving screen
Gebroeders Van Duijn Eggplants is a leading Dutch eggplant operation with more than 22 hectares of total cultivation area spread between their three greenhouse locations in southwestern Holland.
The company’s ten-hectare Wesdorpe greenhouse site is uniquely sustainable and environmentally-friendly thanks in part to its use of residual heat and CO2 supplied by the local, nearby industry.
Last winter, the operation's old Luxous 1243 D energy screen was replaced with Svensson’s new ultra-transparent, crystal-clear, energy-saving Luxous 1147 FR climate screen. Both Jan van Duijn, one of the three brothers who run Gebroeders Van Duijn Eggplants and the operation’s crop supervisor, Ruud Suykerbuyk, are extremely satisfied with the climate and cultivation under their new Luxous energy screen. The ten-hectare Wesdorpe greenhouse site consists of three houses, which despite having identical structures and the same glass types; the cultivation in the three greenhouses differ each year.
Since installing their new Luxous 1147 FR screen the difference between the houses has become much smaller and the crops now grow more evenly. The amount of incoming light that Luxous 1147 FR allows in during winter months, when the energy screen is used intensively during the start of cultivation plays a big role in this.
“Luxous 1147 FR allows us to reduce our use of heating pipes to achieve the greenhouse temperature we need," describes Jan. “This reflects the fact that our new Luxous 1147 FR screen saves 4% more energy than our old Luxous 1243 D screen did.”
The growing period begins in November at the Westdorpe site when there is still a relatively good amount of light. Luxous 1147 FR’s high degree of light transmission makes it easier for Gebroeders Van Duijn to keep the energy screen closed for a longer amount of time following sunrise.
This not only saves energy but also creates a better climate.
