ENERGLIK

Research project

ENERGLIK is an Interreg VI Flanders-the Netherlands project (ERDF) aimed at supporting the transition to a future-proof horticulture industry in the Dutch-Belgian border region.

In order to support the evolution to a climate-neutral and economically viable model, the project focusses on 4 innovation domains:

Capturing, purification and stocking of CO2 flues to improve dosing
Continued development of day- and night-time screens
Optimization of dehumidification technology
Development and optimization of a novel sensor technology to monitor spore count in horticulture

The overall goal of the project is to integrate these innovations into an energy-efficient growing system. The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union through Interreg VIa Flanders-the Netherlands (€ 2.498.650,00 EU subsidy). Additional funding is provided by the Province of Limburg and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.

The innovations will be directly tested and implemented in horticulture research centers in Belgium and the Netherlands. This will allow to quantify the amount of energy that each of the innovations can induce prior to implementing them into practical tests in the industry. These practical tests will allow end-users to gain insights how these technologies can improve the energy-efficiency of their industrial processes. Based on this knowhow, the project partners will develop a measurement tool that allows suppliers and growers to calculate which innovations are most interesting for their daily practices in terms of improving energy-efficiency. In a final report, the project partners will simulate and calculate the effect of the developed technology on sustainability and economic feasibility. In this way, a recommendation will be made on how these innovations could contribute to a more sustainable horticulture industry in 2050.

ENERGLIK is a public-private, cross-border partnership in which three knowledge institutions (Maastricht University, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, and Ghent University) collaborate with four public research institutes (lead partner Proefcentrum Hoogstraten, Proefstation voor de Groenteteelt, Stichting Wageningen Research, and Instituut voor Landbouw- en Visserijonderzoek), and four regional SMEs (Plant Lighting, Botany, Maurice Kassenbouw, and Verhoeven QH).