ISHS Acta Horticulturae 245: Engineering and Economic Aspects of Energy Saving in Protected Cultivation
PREFACE |
| Author: | B. Bailey |
| Abstract:
The Symposia on Greenhouse Energy, arranged under the auspices of the International Society for Horticultural Science, and held in 1977 in Alnarp, 1981 in Dublin, and 1983 in Ohio, encompassed both the engineering and biological aspects of the efficient use of energy. The multidisciplinary nature of the Symposia was an advantage but the large number of participants meant it was necessary to divide the programme into parallel sessions. To overcome this disadvantage and to maximise the time for discussion, the ISHS decided that separate symposia should be arranged on the biological and technical aspects of energy use in protected cultivation. A Symposium on The Biological Aspects of Energy Saving in Protected Cultivation was held in Pisa in August and the present Symposium is the counterpart which encompasses the engineering and economic aspects of energy use. This Symposium has benefited considerably from the involvement of The Commission of the European Communities and The European Cooperative Networks on Rural Energy of The Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations. Both organisations have promoted a range of activities related to the use of energy in greenhouses. The CEC has financed large scale demonstration projects and organised specialist Workshops. The CNRE has also sponsored Workshops which have produced state-of-the-art reports on selected topics. In addition to co-sponsoring this Symposium they provided reports of relevant Workshops which summarised the current state of knowledge in Europe. The CEC receives particular gratitude for their important financial contribution towards this Symposium. To provide the maximum time for discussion the Symposium was organised around six poster sessions. Each subject was introduced by a keynote lecture and, where appropriate, the report of a Workshop. Sixteen papers were presented orally and there were 71 posters. The number of participants was 117 and 22 countries were represented. Considerable thanks are due to the staff of The Institute of Engineering Research for their contributions in arranging this Symposium, and especially to Gill Long who provided unstinting secretarial service.
Grateful acknowledgement is made of the financial support given by Barclays Bank plc, British Gas Eastern, Cambridge Glasshouse Company Ltd., The Electricity Council and Ludvig Svensson International BV. Above all it is a pleasure to thank the participants for their excellent and enthusiastic contributions in the form of lectures, posters and during the discussions.
The success of the Symposium was due entirely to their efforts. | |
