Ceres Greenhouse Solutions is making big strides in the cannabis market by expanding our design and engineering services to Europe, specifically Portugal, for our latest cannabis greenhouse project. Starting in late 2022, Ceres started the design process on a SunChamber™ facility for EcoCanna LDA. This endeavor is the product of a cultivated five-year partnership with Rabensteiner Italy, our manufacturing partner for European projects.
The cannabis greenhouse design will consist of 3 Ceres SunChamber™s plus a headhouse as a production and test facility for future European cannabis projects. The SunChamber™ is our completely sealed greenhouse design that allows cultivators full environmental control while also utilizing the power of the sun. In a place like Portugal, that boasts over 300 days of sunshine per year, there is a lot of free energy to be harvested year-round.
GMP and GACP Ready
The facility has been designed with GACP (good agricultural and collection practices) and GMP (good manufacturing practice) certification in mind. While the US has no GMP standards to date due to cannabis being illegal at the federal level, Europe has GMP certification standards that are essentially prerequisites for cannabis companies to operate in the European market. Even though EcoCanna LDA is our first European cannabis project, our hybrid facilities have always been designed and constructed to be GMP certified, which is a huge benefit to the client. This project will also feature the EcoPack™, a fully electric HVACD system to complete the 100% sealed cultivation facility. To learn more about the capabilities of the EcoPack™, check out our blog, How to Choose an Energy-Efficient HVAC System.
A Fully Electric Greenhouse
Over the past year, the gas supply in Europe has been fairly uncertain. Many farmers in Europe are producing less, or even going under altogether, because energy costs are so high. We have been designing electric-only sealed cultivation facilities for over two years, and have recognized a major need for European greenhouses since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting high price of gas. Our electric-run, high efficiency HVAC + Dehumidification systems are a perfect fit for the European greenhouse market. As a company grounded in sustainability, we also understand the need to shift towards electricity, which can be powered by renewable resources, as opposed to gas which is a limited resource.
New Water Treatment Partners
We expanded our partner network to work in conjunction with Silver Bullet Water Treatment, in order to design the water filtration, fertigation, and irrigation system for EcoCanna, which will be supplied by local European partners. Silver Bullet has a decade of experience working in the North American cannabis market which makes them a great partner on this project because Cannabis facilities require very specific treatment depending on incoming water quality.
Greenhouse Controller
Our SunChamber™ greenhouses require precise control to ensure smooth operation of the climate control systems. That is why the EcoCanna project will be installed with SunSense™ controls to manage all aspects of the building, allowing the cultivators along with Ceres’ engineers to continue to perfect environmental conditions and efficiencies over time as the facility continues to operate and improve.
In conclusion, we would like to state that we are thrilled to be entering the European cannabis market, especially with a project as exceptional as EcoCanna LDA. This project marks a major milestone for Ceres and reinforces our commitment to sustainability and innovation in the cannabis industry. If you are interested to learn more about our international product offerings, contact a greenhouse expert today.