Adding extra CO2 beyond that which comes through ventilation can increase plant or fruit growth above natural circumstances.It's essential if your greenhouse isn't well-ventilated, as CO2 struggles to get to the plants, meaning that photosynthesis stops and plants stop growing.But how can you add extra CO2? We do it by recovering the CO2 out of the combustion process of your boilers and rerouting it back into your greenhouse.We've also developed a unique delivery system of liquid CO2, too, and it's incredibly accurate and delivers the exact amount of CO2 required to each plant.

How can I keep my greenhouse warm?

It's essential to keep as much heat inside as you can, so start with insulation. After that, any form of heat can be used. In large greenhouses, hot water is most common. Known as a 'hydronic system,' hot water is heated in a boiler and then piped around the greenhouse and between plants via multi-purpose tube rail systems. The temperature and flow of the water can then be accurately controlled with automated pump and valve systems.For smaller greenhouses, warm air is an economical option. Heaters run on natural gas, petrol or diesel create heat and generate CO2 that can be used to enhance plant growth, then distributed with a fan and a heat exchanger. Remember, it’s essential in a climate-controlled greenhouse project that heat is distributed evenly for optimum crop production.

Just like the boiler in your home, a greenhouse boiler is a large tank with an internal furnace and pipes. A burner (gas, oil, or coal) heats the furnace and the pipes. In turn, these pipes heat the water pumped through the boiler. Unlike household boilers, greenhouse boilers can be positioned away from the greenhouses themselves, making it easier to control noise and space issues.

Greenhouse technology

Creating The Perfect Growing Conditions, All Year Round

Climate-controlled greenhouse projects enable crops to grow faster, more efficiently, and sustainably at any time of the year and in almost every external condition. This leads to higher yields and the best possible return on your investment.

At Netafim, we have a dedicated team for climate management, delivering tailor-made climate management systems for every greenhouse we build worldwide. During the feasibility phase, we identify which systems best suit your climate-controlled greenhouse project based on crop, location, available energy sources, and market conditions.

Our Range of Climate-Controlled Greenhouse Systems:

Cutting-Edge Climate Management System

Our cutting-edge climate systems deliver precision growing conditions in any climatic condition around the globe.

We combine our in-house systems with leading industry partners to deliver all you need for a climate-controlled greenhouse, whatever the crop.

Optimal growing ambient factors are carefully managed through cutting-edge climate controllers, sensors, weather stations, user-friendly software, and – most importantly – the industry's biggest training and technical support team.

Gakon Netafim climate management systems will help you achieve an optimum yield while saving energy and being more sustainable. In short, growing more with less!

Heating Systems for Greenhouses

In a climate-controlled greenhouse project, heating provides optimal temperatures for crop growth and manages the humidity in the greenhouse.

Heating may be needed throughout the year, not just in winter. So in Gakon Netafim climate-controlled greenhouse projects, one of the critical factors is finding the most secure, sustainable, and energy-efficient heating solution that will deliver ideal growing conditions. That heating solution could be based on a geothermal source, combined heat, power, natural gas, or light oil.

With our expertise in using sustainable energy, our goal is to help you deliver significant energy savings – leading to substantial savings in operational costs for your greenhouse and farm.

greenhouse technology - Innovative heating systems for greenhouses

Delivering Optimal Growing Conditions Through Heating Systems For Greenhouses

Spreading the heat

Distributing the heat in a climate-controlled greenhouse is essential to guarantee optimal growing conditions.

Heating can be done by using hot air heaters in your greenhouse run on natural gas, petrol, or diesel (which also generate CO2 that can be used to enhance plant growth) or by circulating hot water inside the greenhouse.

The water heating method is the most common practice, especially in cold climate countries, and the most efficient one for large greenhouses or clusters of greenhouses.

In a water heating system, hot water is heated in a boiler and circulates inside the greenhouse structure and between plant rows via multi-purpose metal tubes (i.e., pipe rail, grow tubes, snow pipes). The temperature and flow of the water are accurately controlled by the central control system based on the required setting points and online measurement of temperature and humidity.

Heat management and CO₂ production

Yields increase with a higher concentration of CO₂ in the air, so we recover the CO₂ out of the combustion process of your boilers and reroute it back into your greenhouse – first through a PVC distribution network and then to the plants via micro-perforated ducts.

Liquid CO₂

Netafim has developed a special delivery system that is extremely accurate, delivering the exact amount of CO₂ required to each plant. This system combines with your heating system or can be designed to work independently.

Maximizing your heat with a heat storage tank

In Netafim climate-controlled greenhouse projects, heat storage tanks ensure no heat is wasted. During the day, our heating systems channel unwanted heat into these water tanks to store energy. The hot water tanks then supply heat to your greenhouse at night.

READY TO GROW?

Learn how we can help design and deliver your next greenhouse project.

Cooling Systems

High-pressure fogging

Fogging is an advanced technology solution that combines irrigation with energy-efficient cooling – and can be integrated into your more comprehensive water-delivery unit. At Netafim, we design low and high-pressure fogging systems depending on your project's requirements.

They immediately evaporate when high-pressure droplets as small as 6 microns are pumped into a warm environment via special steel nozzles. This increases air humidity which plants can absorb without the water falling directly onto the crop and potentially damaging it.

At the same time, evaporating water consumes energy. This fog can then be extracted from your climate-controlled greenhouse, resulting in a decrease in temperature of between 4⁰ – 7⁰C.

Cooling Pad and Fan Systems

A cooling pad and fan system is another cooling system for climate-controlled greenhouse projects. This system's main advantage is high cooling efficiency without spraying water inside the greenhouse. A pad and fan system can also increase humidity if needed for your crop.

Outside air is sucked into the climate-controlled greenhouse through pads made from cellulose paper along the greenhouse gable side.
If the temperature in the greenhouse is too high, the pads are watered. As the air passes through the wet pads, it is cooled and humidified by the water evaporating from the pad.
The heat needed for this evaporation is taken from the air itself. No external energy supply is needed. This is nature’s cooling process.
Exhaust fans remove the hot and humid air once it’s been through the climate-controlled greenhouse.

greenhouse technology - cooling pad and fan systems

Horizontal screens

The most common screens for a climate-controlled greenhouse are horizontal screens. These use a pull-push rod or a pull-wire system, in which the fabric profile and the fabric move together along steel pipes. In the pull-wire system, the fabric is carried using stainless steel wires.

Vertical screens

A vertical screen gives you even more control and allows you to screen your production area on all sides. The vertical screen installation is attached to the facade inside and can be operated manually or by a control system.

External screens

Gakon Netafim also offers an external screen, more commonly used in climate-controlled greenhouses in Asia and the Far East. An external screen ensures less heat build-up in the greenhouse, enabling less need for ventilation, better CO₂ management, and more energy saved.

Screen Systems

Controlling the temperature and light in your climate-controlled greenhouse is crucial for cultivation. With a screen installation, you can manage both and save energy simultaneously.

Gakon Netafim offers a range of screen options. Working with the leading screen-cloth suppliers, we can supply a solution for shading, energy saving, blackout – or all three:

Nursery Growing Systems

Alongside our greenhouse irrigation systems, Gakon Netafim supplies various growing systems for nursery use, including specialized automated seeding lines, specialized growing tables, boom irrigation, cooling pads, and more – answering all the needs in the life cycle of a plant in a nursery.

Auxilary Systems

We offer various climate-controlled greenhouse auxiliary systems to support your team from planting to farm gates. These include:

Seedling systems
Crop handling systems
Crop trellising systems
Sorting and grading lines
Cold storage rooms
Advanced electrical systems

Power Your Greenhouse with Solar Panels

Individuals and companies are becoming increasingly aware of the advantages of solar energy. Gakon Netafim offers its greenhouse customers a solution for generating usable energy from the sun's power. We have developed a unique deck system in which thin solar panels can be quickly and safely integrated into the glass cover of new construction projects. The advantages are significant. The solar system is easy to assemble, and the energy yield is high.

Gakon-Netafim offers a system in which the PV cells are integrated between two layers of glass. The individual glass parts with PV cells are connected in parallel using modules. A central receiving installation converts the received energy into the correct voltage to be supplied to the grid or used again.

Facade solar panels

Mounting PV solar panels in one or more facades offers green energy with more efficiency. The difference with this application is in the moment of return to the grid. Due to the vertical placement, the optimal energy production is later in the day than with regular solar panels. This means there is less competition, so a higher price per kWh.

Floating solar panels

Solar panels on floats can be placed in water basins, making these otherwise useless water surfaces a tremendous sustainable energy source. This also increases energy yield because the panels work better when cooled.