th
8 edition, Autumn 2016
24
Foreword With the unexpected outcome of the US presidential election, it is once again clear that we live in a particularly turbulent time. After the shock of Brexit, we now have to deal with another surprise, this time from the US.
IN THIS NEWSLETTER Foreword
Obviously, these developments also affect our industry. It is clear that the winners of these elections are looking for a way to limit international trade and international cooperation. And Dutch horticulture is highly dependent on international trade and cooperation. Our company earns 90% of its revenue outside the Netherlands. We must therefore consider these developments very worrying.
Sundrop Farms officially opened
Unfortunately, as a company, we cannot change any of these developments. We can only continue to improve our products in order to maintain or improve our position in this turbulent world. With our current team of specialists in high-tech horticulture, we are in a good position to tackle this challenge.
Growth projects in the former Soviet Union
Anniversaries Thanet Earth Gysi – Gerber Newcomers Job vacancies
Peter Spaans, Director
Trade fairs New project film
Sundrop Farms 20 ha Turn-key ModulAIR officially opened
Anniversaries Sustainable one of a kind horticultural project in Australia It has been 22 months since this amazing sustainable project started on 1 December 2014, and last week it was officially opened. The project is located in regional South Australia, approximately 12 km south of the city of Port Augusta. The project is a unique, first-of-its-kind, climate-controlled greenhouse that is fully integrated with a concentrated solar thermal energy system that provides energy and high-purity desalinated water. One of the key aspects of this project is a solarpowered heating system with two heat storage tanks, which will be needed to ensure the survival of 720,000 tomato plants through the winter. This project is substantial in both technical accomplishment and physical size; the site occupies approximately 55 ha: 20 ha of greenhouses, 15 ha of ancillary structures and 20 ha of concentrated solar thermal plant. Van der Hoeven's part in this remarkable project The project consists of 4 identical 5 ha blocks that are connected by a corridor, which is also equipped with a ModulAIR climate system. In total, Van der Hoeven was responsible for: 4 identical 5 ha greenhouses with screening installation and gutters ModulAIR climate control system heating system two heat storage tanks of 22,000 m³ and 6,000 m³, which are incorporated in the solar thermal energy system water and electrical installations logistics system for the internal transport and processing of products Evaporative cooling with sea water The special feature of the ModulAIR climate control system is that the (adiabatic) cooling works with salt water instead of fresh water. The control of each of the 4 greenhouses is completely independent from the others with
regard to the climate control and irrigation, which will make it possible to cultivate different crops in different greenhouses in the future. The greenhouses are integrated with a Solar Energy System, which ensures the supply of the necessary heating, power and fresh water, all based on sunlight and sea water. The biggest buffer tank in horticulture – and more remarkable things A crucial part of the Solar Energy System is the 22,000 m³ storage tank for the storage of highgrade heat that is required for the desalination process. This buffer tank – currently the biggest buffer tank in horticulture – was supplied by Van der Hoeven and built by F&H Crone. The lowgrade waste heat is stored in a second, 6,000 m³ buffer tank. This waste heat provides the necessary heating to the greenhouse complex. Given the high demands on the Solar Energy System, both buffer tanks have been entirely built according to the requirements of the EN14015 standard with the collaboration of F&H Crone. 15% of all tomatoes in Australia The large-scale project in Port Augusta produces approximately 17 kilotons of tomatoes annually, that’s approximately 15% of all tomatoes in Australia. The farm will create approximately 200 jobs in the South Australia region, an area in great need of local employment.
Recently, we celebrated four anniversaries. First, it was our glaziers' turn: Frans van der Ahé celebrated his 25th Anniversary on 11 February. Ton van Loon celebrated 40 years of service on 1 June. These anniversaries were celebrated by the management at the annual Van der Hoeven BBQ.
from left to right Frans van der Ahé, Ton van Loon and Martin Steentjes
This month we had two more anniversaries: Jennefer Damkot, our logistics manager, and Amriet Ramdihal, our welder, are celebrating 12.5 years of service.
Address: P.O. Box 5115 2600 GC Delft The Netherlands Visiting address: Vrij- Harnasch 124 2635 BZ Den Hoorn The Netherlands