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INNOVATION
Humidity and air temperature control based on renewable energy coupled to energy loss free storages
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Market Maturity: Exploring
These are innovations that are actively exploring value creation opportunities. Learn more
Market Creation Potential
This innovation was assessed by the JRC’s Market Creation Potential indicator framework as addressing the needs of existing markets and existing customers. Learn more
Women-led innovation
A woman had a leadership role in developing this innovation in at least one of the Key Innovator organisations listed below.
Go to Market needs
Needs that, if addressed, can increase the chances this innovation gets to (or closer to) the market incude:
  • Secure capital
  • Scale-up market opportunities
Location of Key Innovators developing this innovation
Key Innovators
UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDG)
This innovation contributes to the following SDG(s)
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 7
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

The UN explains: "Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Be it for jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing incomes, access to energy for all is essential.

Transitioning the global economy towards clean and sustainable sources of energy is one of our greatest challenges in the coming decades. Sustainable energy is an opportunity – it transforms lives, economies and the planet."

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 13
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

The UN explains: "Affordable, scalable solutions are now available to enable countries to leapfrog to cleaner, more resilient economies. The pace of change is quickening as more people are turning to renewable energy and a range of other measures that will reduce emissions and increase adaptation efforts."

The EU-funded Research Project
This innovation was developed under the Horizon 2020 project TheGreefa with an end date of 31/05/2024
  • Read more about this project on CORDIS
Description of Project TheGreefa
This project is aimed at a new technology for heating, cooling, air humidity control and water recovery in greenhouses as well as for drying of agricultural goods using thermo-chemical conversion principles based on the use of salt solutions (thermochemical fluids). The common effect in all applications is the hygroscopic property of thermochemical fluids, allowing an uptake of water vapor from air thus releasing sensible heat involved in the phase change. The technology allows to (1) use unexplored potentials of solar- and residual heat at farm level, (2) to convert and to store the heat into thermochemical potential without thermal losses and (3) to use the potential through re-conversion of the potential into heat within the above-mentioned applications. Within two different demonstrators in Central European Climate (heating) and Mediterranean Climate (cooling, water recovery and desalination) the technology will be tested, further developed and disseminated. Lab tests will explore the processes and materials involved, will include tests on material drying and on interactions between different applications. Development of improved knowledge on modelling of the involved processes, the simulation and control of specific applications and the development of control strategies are further tasks to provide a bright insight into the novel approach. Strategies to bring the technology to market will be developed. Thermochemical applications in agriculture have the potential to significantly reduce the energy consumption in greenhouse climate control as well as in crop drying and will provide an alternative to energy intensive water desalination in arid regions. The uptake, conversion and storage of solar heat from greenhouses even provides the perspective to turn protected intensive horticulture from an energy/water consuming to an energy/water producing method, allowing to secure the important market of food production and food processing and to extend it to new regions.

Innnovation Radar's analysis of this innovation is based on data collected on 01/11/2024.
The unique id of this innovation in the European Commission's IT systems is: 114342