Greenhouse production and flexible energy systems

The VarttiValo project aims to provide new knowledge and tools to optimise the interaction between greenhouse production and flexible energy systems. The project combines expertise from electricity markets, botanical research and artificial intelligence technologies to address the challenges of both greenhouse production and the modern electricity system. This interdisciplinary approach aims to promote systemic solutions and technologies. The key objective is to make greenhouse production more economically viable by exploiting flexibility in the electricity market while maintaining optimal plant welfare and production efficiency.

This project combines the expertise of two different research institutes, the Natural Resources Institute of Finland and VTT, whose close cooperation with companies and world-class international partners further strengthens the expertise of the research partners. The companies involved in the project are Greenlux Lighting Solutions, a designer and manufacturer of LED lighting, Kaukora, provider of equipment for energy management, dehumidification and heating, Meriaura Energy, which designs and supplies solar thermal plants for district heating and industry, Nanea, which provides energy management solutions and dehumidification equipment, and Sympower, a demand response aggregator. The project is also supported by Puutarhasäätiö and STEK ry, the Centre for the Promotion of Electrical Engineering and Energy Efficiency.

The project will create a solid basis for a Co-Innovation project, which will result in a high-tech export ecosystem around primary production and flexible energy systems in Finland. At the same time, domestic greenhouses will be able to support Finland's energy system more efficiently, improving the resilience of both critical sectors of society.