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Tag: High Tech Greenhouse

RII Fire Safety in High tech Production Greenhouses

RII Releases Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Greenhouse Code Officials, Fire Marshalls, Inspectors and Developers

Written by Industry News Release on . Posted in Blog.

Resource Innovation Institute (RII), a leading non-profit organization advancing resource efficiency in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), today announced the release of a new industry guide: “Fire Safety in High-Tech Production Greenhouses.” This essential resource is designed to support code officials, fire marshals, and greenhouse developers in navigating the complexities of fire and building code compliance in CEA facilities.

The guide is now available as a free download at https://resourceinnovation.org/resources/

The guide was developed in response to extensive feedback from large, high-tech greenhouse operators and industry stakeholders who consistently identified fire code compliance as a major source of project delays in new greenhouse construction. Through a collaborative working group of engineers, architects, insurers, fire safety experts, and growers, the guide presents practical, scalable, and code-informed strategies tailored to the unique characteristics of modern commercial greenhouses.

“This guide is not about lowering the bar on safety, it’s about aligning the code with the actual conditions in greenhouses, which are fundamentally different from conventional buildings,” said Rob Eddy, Horticulture Manager for Education & Training at RII and the lead author of the guide. “Growers are operating in low-occupancy, high-humidity, non-combustible environments. This resource helps everyone involved, developers, fire marshals, inspectors, get on the same page faster, to move forward with nuanced discussions.”

A Collaborative Process Led by Industry Experts

The contents of the guide were shaped by the Fire Safety Working Group (FSWG)—a cross-disciplinary team of professionals brought together by RII to bridge the gap between regulatory intent and on-the-ground implementation. The group included representatives from greenhouse operations, design firms, fire safety consulting, and insurance.

Contributors to the Fire Safety Working Group include:

  • Zach Bruce, CSP, Director of Safety Services, Hortica
  • Brian Campbell, Senior Project Manager – Architecture, GMA Architects
  • Olaf van Marrewijk, Manager, Greenhouses Horticulture International, Hagelunie
  • Tony Ordile, Principal Engineer – Level II, Baker Engineering and Risk Consultants, Inc.
  • Gregg Short, P.E., Senior Partner, Greenhouse Design, LLC
  • Matt Stuppy, President, Stuppy Greenhouse & Former President, NGMA
  • Alex Turkewitsch, P. Eng, Greenhouse Engineering
  • Mike Zee, Senior Director, Development + Construction, Gotham Greens

RII’s working group model creates a neutral, peer-informed platform for knowledge exchange between sectors. Through a series of facilitated discussions, the group examined real-world examples, reviewed applicable codes, and offered consensus-based recommendations that reflect both regulatory frameworks and operational realities.

Key topics covered in the guide include:

  • Occupancy classification strategies
  • Fire suppression system alternatives
  • Exit and egress planning in large-scale facilities
  • Material flammability ratings and recommendations
  • Fire detection and alarm system design for humid environments
  • Risk-based fire barrier and access solutions

The publication reflects RII’s mission to serve as a trusted neutral platform where stakeholders can co-develop practical guidance that supports both compliance and innovation in agricultural infrastructure.

The guide is now available as a free download at https://resourceinnovation.org/resources/

 

Skytree Introduces Latest Direct Air Capture Unit for CEA At Indoor Ag-Con 2024

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on . Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News.

Amsterdam and Indoor Ag-Con, Las Vegas, NV – March 11, 2024 – Skytree, a pioneering climate tech company specializing in carbon utilization and removal solutions, today announced the availability of Skytree Stratus, the company’s newest decentralized Direct Air Capture (DAC) unit for onsite carbon capture and utilization. The Skytree Stratus unit can generate as much as 2750 lbs. (1250kg) of CO2  per day to meet the needs of large greenhouses and vertical farms.

Stratus is Skytree’s second decentralized DAC unit brought to market in the last seven months, following the launch of the smaller scale Skytree Cumulus launched last fall. Cumulus units are currently generating CO2 at CEA facilities around the world including Wageningen University & Research Center in The Netherlands.

Once installed onsite, Stratus captures CO2 from the ambient air to be deployed to enrich crop yield and increase productivity. The fully modular nature of Stratus allows for multiple units to be combined into a “Skytree Stratus Hub” to meet larger volume needs. Through partnerships, Skytree offers local liquefaction of CO2, required for storage of liquid CO2, enabling CEA businesses to continuously capture and store CO2 in use during peak production periods.

Stratus is available in hybrid and all-electric-powered configurations, designed to optimally integrate with the location’s onsite energy source. The dual-powered Skytree Stratus Hybrid uses onsite thermal heat which reduces the need for electricity, delivering considerable savings as compared to the all-electric version. Over time, Skytree expects to drive Stratus’ energy consumption to under 1kWh per kg of CO2  generated.

“Following the successful commercial launch of the Skytree Cumulus, we are excited to debut our much larger Stratus system with shipments starting later this year,” said Rob van Straten, Skytree CEO. “The introduction of Stratus reflects our great momentum and the strides we continue to make in providing CEA businesses with an innovative alternative to fossil fuel-based CO2. CEA businesses facing or expecting supply chain challenges and price instability want an independent and continuous supply of CO2,” van Straten continued. “Stratus offers a reliable CO2 source for businesses seeking to boost crop yield while, at the same time, securing supply, and reducing carbon footprint.”

Through the company’s Uptime Assurance Guarantee program, Skytree guarantees high uptime, monitors, and measures CO2 generation, and conducts all preventive and corrective maintenance to ensure uninterrupted operations.

For more information about Skytree Stratus, click here:

About Skytree:

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Amsterdam, Skytree harnesses CO2 from ambient air through the power of direct air capture technology (DAC). By providing local, onsite CO2 generation across multiple markets including vertical farming, greenhouses as well as mineralization, Skytree enables a transition away from fossil fuel-based industrial processes and avoids transport to where the CO2 is needed.

Born out of the European Space Agency (ESA), during the development of a CO2 scrubber, space scientists evaluated over 50 sorbents. Skytree founder, Max Beaumont, was a system engineer on this team and spun out the technology through the ESA incubator program ‘ESA-BIC’. With a decade of research & development, the company has since registered 17 patents, in 5 patent families across US, Europe, and China and is ready to monetize the technology through multiple use cases.

The Skytree Stratus initially is focused on high tech greenhouses that require large volumes of CO2 with initial customers in The Netherlands, Canada and United States.

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