Client

Schep Verwarming bv

Challenge

Medicine from the sun. SunMed Growers is a licensed grower and processor of medicinal cannabis. In Maryland, holistic, organic and sun-grown cannabis is produced according to the Dutch greenhouse growing process. For example, for treating chronic diseases and pain. To ensure a continuous correct moisture balance for all plants and to enable maximum cultivation yield per square meter, proper conditioning and climate control is essential.

Solution

The delivery and installation of 16 (phase 1) + 24 (phase 2) Ned Air air handling units, respectively. The units provide the extensive greenhouse complex with a stable and optimal indoor climate.

A stable indoor climate for SunMed Growers

Ned Air’s expertise in greenhouse construction started about four years ago, with the development of project-specific air handling units for the experimental greenhouses of Wageningen University Plant Research (WUR) and Bayer’s Crop Science Division in Monheim an Rhein. The knowledge gained in this process created a flywheel effect that also reached the US. Three years ago, Ned Air was commissioned by Schep Verwarming bv to engineer, manufacture and supply 16 air handling units for SunMed Growers. Schep Verwarming bv specializes in climate systems for the horticultural sector. In combination with Ned Air’s knowledge, a sophisticated system for the conditioning of cannabis cultivation has been developed. Moreover, in November 2024, phase 2 was carried out, for which 24 identical air handling units were shipped to Maryland.

Dry and clean air

A special feature of phase 2 is that the conditioned air is blown into the greenhouses from below. The 24 air handling units are set up outside in the longitudinal direction of the greenhouse, where they can draw in both outside and inside air. The air is drawn in individually or mixed as desired, after which the quality of the air is measured and assessed.” Then conditioning starts.”

Displacement principle

A cooling and heating coil is used for dehumidification, in which the air is first deeply cooled (10°C), before being reheated. In this way, as much moisture as possible can be extracted. The air handling units then blow the conditioned air into a space under the greenhouse complex, which is thereby overpressurized. As a result, the air flows through carefully placed grilles into the greenhouse complex above. Following the idea that warm air rises (displacement principle; ed.), the used ventilation air is extracted at the top of the greenhouse.

Customization from frame to roof

To blow in the conditioned air as well and as quickly as possible under the greenhouse floor, the air handling units are equipped with an air outlet at the bottom. To create sufficient height, a custom frame was designed by Ned Air so that the units are half a meter above ground level. Integrated vibration dampers ensure a vibration-free set-up. The roofs of the air handling units feature stainless steel sheet metal with a powder-coated finish, making them resistant to the extreme weather in the US.

To measure is to know

Greenhouse cultivation processes such as in Maryland listen closely. Careful monitoring of climate conditions is therefore essential. That’s why our air handling units are also linked to SunMed Growers’ building management system. Ned Air itself also has an extensive library of (anonymous) measurement data, based on which the right air handling units for each cabinet application can be advised, engineered and delivered.

Ned Air delivered 16 and 24 air handling units in phases 1 and 2, respectively. These cabinets provide the greenhouse complex with a stable and optimally conditioned indoor climate.