TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

The CHP-heated Greenhouse, in operation since September 2006, the first project of its kind in Greece, is located near the city of Drama, Greece and is the most technologically advanced application in the field of agro-industrial investments in Greece.

• Heated through a CHP Plant of 4,9 MWth and 4,8 MWe, and a Boiler Plant of 9 MWth located next to the Greenhouse.
• The cultivation method used is hydroponics, which consists of using inert substrates such as rockwool, instead of soil, allowing for total control of the root environment, the root health status and the plant nutrition.
• lt is fully computerized through a SCADA system.This allows total control of the internal environmental conditions automatically, according to outside temperature, moisture, solar irradiation, ventilation, as well as the implementation of a nutrition-irrigation daily strategy, which may vary between different subsectors of the Greenhouse.
• lts design is environment- friendly, the exhaust gases of the CHP engines are catalyzed, in order to remove ΝΟχ and retain all of the C02 produced, to introduce it into the Greenhouse for the plants to absorb and accelerate their growth and productivity.
• lts operation ensures the minimization of the water needs through rational use (recycling and re-use) of the feed-in water, while at the same time retaining all rain water from the roof into a water-basin, in order to use it in the greenhouse.
• The cultivation method is based on the principles of biological pest control, according to which the natural enemies of the plants are controlled by natural means, minimizing chemical control, while pollination is also controlled by pollinating bees.
• The final products are certified as “Health Safety Products ®“ due to the absolute Control of the nutrition ingredients and levels of chemicals applied, in conformity with the strictest requirements in the EU. The production procedure is certified according to GLOBALGAP standards and several other certification authorities, which is a prerequisite for all major European markets.
• The fruit collection and grading is done by means of stateof- the-art equipment, such as electrically driven trolleys and colour –and size– sensitive grading machines, capable to deliver all variations the European Markets demand.