Nov 28, 2015: The ZINEG research team was awarded for its innovative solutions for energy efficient greenhouses with low CO2 emissions. The German Sustainability Award Research was presented at the official ceremony on November 28, 2014 in Berlin.
The main objective of the recently terminated project was to reduce the consumption of fossile energy and hence the fossile CO2-emission for crop production in greenhouses to zero. This ambitious goal was achieved by using a system-oriented approach of combining technical innovation and technical arrangements in cultivation.
Partners in the research consortium were three universities (HU Berlin, LU Hanover, TU Munich), Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen, HS Osnabrück as well as several non university research institutes, a.o. the Leibniz institutes for Agricultural Engineering (ATB) and for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops Großbeeren (IGZ). The joint project ZINEG was coordinated by Leibniz University Hanover.
How do plants react to the different climatic conditions of closed greenhouses operating with reduced heating? Phytomonitoring was a central task for nearly all research work packages. HU Berlin and the ATB jointly improved the concept for phytomonitoring. Sensors were developed and implemented which enabled, inter alia, to non-destructively measure fruit ingredients online.
The joint project ZINEG was funded by the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and the Rentenbank, managed by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and with assistance of the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food.
The German Sustainability Award Research honours inividual scientist or teams of researchers who contribute to promote the transformation process towards a "Green Economy“. The award by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) underlines the prominent role of science for the change towards a more sustainable economy.
The winners of German Sustainability Award Research 2014 were assessed in cooperation with the science magazine „nano“ (3sat) via Online-Voting.
For more information see: www.zineg.de