Km0: the design of a vertical farm
Challenges
Design a system capable of replicating all climates for a laboratory dedicated to the cultivation of strawberries in a closed environment. Generate complex, cold, very humid and dry climates and thus carry out climatic transitions at a controlled pace.
Solutions
Design and implementation of the climate control system:
Development of our central controller and algorithms that enable better synergy between HVAC equipment
Deployment of an easy-to-use climate planning tool
Development of a cloud dashboard to visualize data in real time and an alarm system (SMS/email) in case of unforeseen events
Perform the selection and optimization of HVAC equipment to generate complex climates
Results
The climate management system operates with great precision, faithfully recreating the ideal natural conditions for strawberries. During the 30 days of June 2021, the average deviations from the setpoints were minimal, only 0.30°C for temperature and 0.5% for humidity. The climatic variations necessary for the growth of strawberries are thus rigorously controlled and uniform.
“Climate management for the first prototype was somewhat difficult at first, but thanks to Muclitech’s adjustments, the climate is now precise and uniform. I am happy to have been able to participate in the emergence of an innovative Quebec company such as Muclitech thanks to the Km0 project.”
– Liliane Colpron, founder of Première Moisson