How One of Finland’s Largest Vegetable Growers Achieves the Highest Levels of Sustainability

One of Finland’s largest greenhouse vegetable producers is revolutionizing growing – saving energy and water, and improving production, using DryGair’s dehumidification system.

Sven Sigg AB is one of the most prolific producers in Finland, with a portfolio that includes a variety of tomatoes and peppers. Over the past month, the company has been heavily featured in the media, including a video interview for the Nordic YLE magazine, and an exposé on HortiDaily.

The articles highlight Sigg’s innovative, sustainable approach to growing, and the technologies used in nearly 90,000 square meters of greenhouse area, to improve production and save on resources, such as energy and water.

These practices have earned the company global recognition with certifications such as GLOBALG.A.P. and GRASP.

In total, Sven Sigg has installed 64 dehumidifiers in its greenhouses – approximately one device per thousand square meters of cultivated area.

The following includes excerpts and quotes from the articles mentioned.

Reducing Energy Consumption

Greenhouses are heavy energy consumers, requiring a lot of heat and energy to be able to produce food in the winter. As such, reducing energy usage is a major goal for many growers. The latest innovation, as mentioned in the articles, is a dehumidification system that saves heat, electricity and water.

In the past, Sigg has already replaced all lighting with more energy-efficient LED lamps, and the interventions to optimize energy use have yielded results. Overall, electricity consumption has decreased by around 40 percent, heat energy use by around 50 percent and water consumption by 25 percent.

“Once you’ve started with energy optimization, it’s almost like a disease. You want to take the following steps to make it more and more efficient.”, says Sigg.

Before Sigg put the dehumidifiers into use, the moisture had to be removed through ventilation holes in the ceiling. But with the moisture, heat has also disappeared. “Now, the ventilation is normally completely closed, so it’s like a closed greenhouse.”

Preventing Molds and Diseases

Sven Sigg uses a combination of biological pest control and sustainable farming methods to ensure healthy crops while protecting the environment. “Our greenhouses are free from chemical pesticides, relying instead on biological agents such as beneficial insects to combat pests”, Sigg says.

As the air in the greenhouses is drier, mold attacks on the plants have also been minimized.

“Previously, there was greater disease pressure. Before the devices came in, there was some mold on the plants, but because we have better air circulation and drier air, we have no mold on the tomato stems.”

Turning Moisture Into Usable Water

Active dehumidification systems, such as DryGair, have an added benefit – creating thousands of liters of clean, usable water.

The moisture that the plants emit is sucked into the dehumidifiers, where it is condensed. The warm dry air is spread out back to the greenhouse, while the moisture flows out as water back into the cultivation channel.

“When we take water from the air, it gives us around one hundred cubic meters of water per day. We take large amounts from the cultivation air.” Says Sigg

DryGair is distributed in Finland by Hatec Baltic. Interested in dehumidification for your facility? Contact us, or your local distributor.