A recently expanded commercial rose greenhouse in the town of Dmitrov, Russia, is using GE Energy’s special Jenbacher cogeneration/carbon dioxide (CO2) fertilisation system and artificial lighting controls to provide vital onsite power and heat, allowing the greenhouse to increase flower production. GE’s onsite power technology and lighting controls were selected because the site lacked enough power from the local grid to meet the greenhouse’s artificial lighting requirements.
The Dalsem Group, a Dutch greenhouse project developer, has a turnkey contract to build the new 6ha rose-growing facility for rose producer Tepelichny Podosinki. The facility will be located in Dmitrov, 65km north of Moscow.
GE Energy will supply three of its natural gas-fuelled JMS 612 gas engines to support the 5.4MW cogeneration plant. The engines and GE’s artificial light control system will provide the required artificial light to increase the growth and quality of the roses. The cogeneration system also features a process that recycles the engines’ CO2-rich exhaust by first treating it and then applying it on the roses as a special fertiliser to promote crop production. CO2 is an important factor in photosynthesis.
GE developed the process at its Jenbacher centre of excellence for horticultural cogeneration applications in the Netherlands, which is an international centre for the horticultural industry.
“As the Russian government continues to reform its energy delivery infrastructure, GE’s cogeneration solution is helping project developers address their challenging technical and logistical requirements by enhancing local energy reliability,” said Rod Christie, GE Energy region executive for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and CIS.
“The project is GE’s first greenhouse combined heat and power project in Russia and helps to illustrate the great potential for distributed energy to improve local energy security and serve a broad array of industrial and residential requirements,” Mr Christie added.
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