TAGS: Smart Coatings Sustainability / Natural Coatings
Albotherm, an advanced materials startup in AgriTech and Construction, develops a smart shade coating that is transparent in cold weather but automatically converts to opaque in hot weather to provide on-demand shade, optimizing crop growing conditions and reducing solar overheating.
For this, Albotherm has been awarded a significant grant from Innovate UK to spearhead a project in collaboration with Pilkington, Flavourfresh and Vitacress.
Responsive to Changing Temperature
Albotherm’s technology is vital in supporting our planet’s requirement to produce 50% more food by 2050 to feed a global population reaching nearly 10 billion. This need is compounded as available arable land has decreased by 30% in the last 40 years due to the effects of urbanization and climate change.
Our changing climate also brings more unpredictable weather conditions, which can cause stress to the crop, resulting in a 25% decrease in yield.
As Albotherm’s product is responsive to changing temperature it ensures that the greenhouse environment remains optimized for growth, maximizing crop production and securing the global food supply in a changing climate.
In commercial greenhouses, their technology allows crops to benefit from the early morning and evening light, while being protected from the heat of the midday sun, boosting overall light levels by 18% and demonstrating a 34% increase in crop yield compared to standard shading approaches.
The ambitious project, which commenced in May 2023 has received funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as part of the Farming Innovation Pathways Grant, administered by Innovate UK. The aim is to address the pressing need for sustainable solutions in the horticulture sector by maximizing energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact.
Partnering to Develop Glass Coating
The project aims to develop and test Albotherm’s innovative smart coatings, with a focus on the optimization and scale up of their retrofit temperature-responsive shade coating for commercial greenhouses. Initial testing is scheduled to commence in Spring 2024 in partnership with Flavourfresh and Vitacress, two of the UK’s soft fruit and culinary herb growers, with commercial scale crop trials.
Albotherm is also partnering with a glass manufacturer, Pilkington, to develop a glass coating for new greenhouse construction that can be produced using Pilkington’s large area manufacturing processes. This new product will have a longer lifetime, maximizing the environmental benefit of Albotherm’s technology and allow access to a wider market opportunity in industrial glazing.
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We are excited to receive the Innovate UK grant and to collaborate with UK horticulture industry. We are honored to have the support of Flavourfresh, Vitacress and Pilkington on this project and we look forward to contributing to a more sustainable future for the horticultural industry,” said Molly Allington, chief executive officer, Albotherm.
Next Generation Glass Range for Greenhouse Farming
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We are continually developing the next generation of glass products and have recently launched our Pilkington Botanical glass range focused on optimizing greenhouse farming,” said Anna Colley, lead technologist at Pilkington Technology Management Limited (PTML).
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We are very much looking forward to working with Albotherm and explore the potential of combining their smart shade coating with our glass technology as a potential step towards more dynamic systems for combating temperature variations in Greenhouses,” added Colley.
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Flavourfresh are so excited to be partnering with Albotherm on such an incredible and innovative concept. The outcome of this work will be so beneficial to all growers across the sector. It’s projects like this that make our jobs so stimulating and exciting for future challenges,” said Andy Roe, production manager at Flavourfresh.
Source: Albotherm