Solar thermal energy systems to power greenhouse farms

SOLHO's mission is to enable the transition towards sustainable food provision.

In 30 years from now, there will be 9 billion people living on the planet, pushing the demand for food to rise by at least 60%. Agriculture will have to double food production to sustain the global population, with fewer resources and lower environmental impact. 

Greenhouse farms are a promising solution to sustainably intensify the production of fresh vegetables and fruits. However, state of the art greenhouses require a huge supply of heating, cooling, and electricity and must, therefore, be connected to reliable gas networks and electric grids. In areas, like Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, where 90% of the world population will be concentrated, the deployment of greenhouse farms is hampered by the poor infrastructure (i.e. unreliable electricity grid and no gas network).

At SOLHO, we believe sustainable food provision is one of the biggest challenges Humanity will have to face in the next decade. For this reason, we have developed the SPRHOUT (Solar PoweRed Horticultural Off-grid UniT), which, to our best knowledge, is the most effective renewable-based system to ensure the energy self-sufficiency of greenhouse facilities. By using solar power and thanks to an innovative Thermal Energy Storage unit (TESMOD), the system enables the complete energy self-sufficiency of a greenhouse farm, opening the door to unparalleled growth opportunities for manufacturers and developers of greenhouse facilities. 

Our vision is a world in which vegetables are grown wherever people need, in an environmentally sustainable way, overcoming and counteracting water scarcity and climate change to ensure a future to our growing humanity.