Scandinavia has the potential to become a significant market for vegetable production in greenhouses. WA3RM has joined forces with world leading supplier of high-tech greenhouses, KUBO, to pioneer a new era in vegetable cultivation. The aim is to establish up to 200 hectares of modern greenhouses powered by waste heat from industrial processes.
“We have great confidence in teaming up with KUBO as an important technology partner to exploit all the possibilities in making Scandinavia a hub for vegetable production in Europe. In the coming years, there are a number of large scale industrial projects that we are looking into developing greenhouse projects with, using waste heat. We strongly believe that Sweden and Scandinavia has the potential to greatly increase its self sufficiency of vegetables and possibly even become net- exporting countries”, says Jacques Ejlerskov, CEO WA3RM AB.
By using waste heat from large industrial production, the Swedish company WA3RM has developed a circular model that makes it possible and profitable to grow vegetables in a colder climate. WA3RM and KUBO are currently working on the development of a first greenhouse project in Sweden, on an area of roughly twenty hectares, for tomato production. As a comparison, the current total greenhouse area for tomato production in Sweden amounts to approximately forty hectares*.
The demand for sustainably produced plant-based food continues to grow. Vegetable production in modern greenhouses using waste heat counters many issues surrounding current food production around the world, such as water shortages and emissions from fossil-fuel heating.
“It is very interesting to see that different technologies are now coming together. Semi-closed greenhouses can be heated with low-grade heat, perfect for waste heat. In addition, almost all electricity in Scandinavia is made from hydro generation. All in all, a very sustainable solution for growing green food, literally and figuratively.”, Wouter Kuiper, CEO KUBO.
By partnering up with a world leading technology partner such as KUBO, WA3RM gains access to decades of valuable competence and experience in building state-of-the-art greenhouses.
* Source: Jordbruksverket, Skörd av trädgårdsväxter 2022
This press release was written by WA3RM