Porta Nova is one of the world's largest growers of Red Naomi roses. In collaboration with greenhouse builder Havecon, Lek/Habo, and Verhoeven-Drunen, Patron Agri Systems executed the electrical, irrigation, and automation systems for a 9.8-hectare rose nursery at a new construction site in Waddinxveen. The project is notable for its innovative heat and cold storage system, making Porta Nova one of the first greenhouse companies in the Netherlands to grow roses without using natural gas.
Like Porta Nova’s other rose nurseries, the greenhouse is equipped with several heat pumps powered by green electricity and an underground heat and cold storage system. This geothermal energy system, called "the Climator," consists of a total of 10 sources with a capacity of 100 m³/hour each. Additionally, the lighting in the dispatch area, sorting hall, and cold storage rooms is implemented with energy-efficient LED lighting. Pure CO2 is supplied from Rotterdam Port via the OCAP connection, essential for rose cultivation.
Water from two underwater sources is pumped up and treated with the Horti Pure Osmosis system to significantly reduce sodium and boron concentrations. Unique to this project is the Aquamix SP liquid fertilizer installation, which enables the control of 12 dosing channels, allowing for switching between different recipes and water qualities. The use of an inline Apollo Low-Pressure UV installation eliminates the need for a clean water silo, ensuring that the irrigation water remains clean as there is no retention time in a clean water silo.
The Kameleon-High drip system ensures very uniform delivery combined with the capability to flush the drip lines at low pressure, maintaining the quality of the irrigation water. Furthermore, the outer and inner cultivation rows receive water separately. The glass roof of the rose nursery is expected to collect 87 million liters of water annually. This water is stored in water basins and fully reused. With these sustainable features, Porta Nova is paving the way for a bright, sustainable future, allowing it to achieve the lowest possible ecological footprint per rose.
