Dear users, Hortinergy will undergo maintenance on Tuesday, January 28th, and Wednesday, January 29th. Thank you for your understanding.
Nous vous informons que Hortinergy sera en maintenance les mardi 28 et mercredi 29 janvier. Merci pour votre compréhension.

Functionalities in the virtual greenhouse software

Weather file

Annual record on an hourly basis based on the GPS coordinates with Meteonorm.

  • Temperature
  • Relative humidity
  • Solar radiation (global, diffuse, normal, PAR)
  • Cloudiness
  • Sky temperature
  • Wind speed and direction

Greenhouse covering

Most of classic, innovative and energy effcient greenhouse covering material are included.

  • Orientation and dimensions
  • Shape of the greenhouse: glass, gothic arch, multi-span plastic
  • Roof and wall materials
  • Airtightness
  • Screen for each wall (quantity, characteristics)
  • Summer whitening (period, characteristics)

Techniques involved

The crop library includes most of the crops

  • Type of culture
  • Type of growing medium
  • Planting and harvesting dates

Heating equipment

Most of greenhouse energy efficient heating equipment can be modelled

  • Rail pipes
  • Grow pipes
  • Air unit heaters
  • Perimeter heating
  • Low temperature pipe under bench
  • Overhead heating pipes
  • Pulsed-air generator

Heat production and storage

Most of heat production and storage can be modelled to improve greenhouse energy efficiency.

  • Type of energy source
  • Primary production: type and characteristics (maximum and minimum power, condenser, etc.
  • Secondary production / back-up: type and characteristics (maximum and minimum power, condenser, etc.)
  • Storage tank

Climate control and regulation

Climate setpoints are similar as those of a climate computer to model inner climate and optimise greenhouse energy consumption.

  • Temperature: day/night at different periods of the year and morning revival
  • Relative humidity control: RH or humidity deficit
  • Screen: depending on the sunlight (thermal/shading) or internal/external temperature difference
  • Open buffer: Water DT, CO2 production (Minimum solar radiation, required CO2 level), optimisation of the primary system (minimum power), etc.

Semi-closed greenhouse

Hortinergy can model semi-closed greenhouse, closed greenhouse, pad & fan, fog systems etc… to optimise greenhouse energy consumption and inner climate.

  • Semi-closed greenhouse
  • Air revival maximum rate
  • Air internal recirculation rate
  • Fan specification
  • Cooling system (pas, fog)
  • Pad specification
  • Cooling temperature
  • Vent opening temperature

Assimilation light

Assimilation light calculations are included to design energy efficient greenhouse.

  • Type of light (LED, HPS)
  • Maximum power required
  • Lighting efficiency
  • Lighting regulation (DLI, hour)

Greenhouse gas emission

Greenhouse gas emission calculation (g CO2/m² or CO2 / kg product) are required to design energy efficient greenhouse.

  • Nutriments
  • CO2 injection
  • Embodied energy of the greenhouse structure
  • Heating