"Zero Carbon" Footprint
Regardless of location, greenhouse production remains the most intensive agricultural process known. Iris Solar Systems are working towards helping the farming and agricultural community. We want to help farmers and landowners gain the highest returns from our "Zero Carbon" footprint technology and the highest farm gate prices.
Greenhouse production is intensive in terms of labor. It is intensive in terms of capital since the erection of a covering over ground is a large investment whatever location and requires money to purchase and operate.
In temperate climates, greenhouses, by the very nature of their current design structure, are large energy consumers. If all inputs are converted to energy terms, we see that, for energy efficiency, primitive slash and bum agriculture has the highest energy return (ER=65).
Most modem agriculture pursuits require more energy input than is gained. Of course, the assumption is that an energy unit from human labor is equal in value to an energy unit from fossil fuel on a physical basis. Whether it is so from a monetary standpoint is an argument we will not address.
Greenhouses are the worst from an environmentalist's viewpoint. This was one of the driving forces behind the IRIS Solar's engineering concept of a "Zero Carbon" Footprint greenhouse system. Since electrical generation is about 40% efficient, and usable irradiation from the most efficient, high-intensity lamps is about 40%, then conversion of a fossil fuel to energy in a form useable by a plant is less than 20% efficient.