In line with national efforts to combat the climate crisis, the Dutch greenhouse horticulture sector aims to be climate neutral in 2040. To reach this goal, greenhouses are required to significantly reduce their energy usage. In support of this climate target, the Delft start-up Thermeleon has developed the Thermeleon Heat Battery. The battery increases the efficiency of greenhouses by strategically storing the surplus heat during the day, to offer it at colder night times. Although the product is still being fine-tuned, early results indicate the battery can reduce energy demand by 10-25%. In preparation for launching their product, Thermeleon is currently working together with several Dutch greenhouse owners and running small and large-scale pilots to test their product. However, Thermeleon does not have sufficient information about the market size, competitors and possible clients to know if they are or can be ready for entering the Dutch greenhouse horticulture market. To answer this question, they requested help from the Tesla program.
The work on this project has been divided into three phases, consisting of both desk and field research. Within the first phase, the Thermeleon heat battery will be benchmarked against other climate installations. The second phase will chart the target market, to find how many heat batteries could theoretically be sold to the Dutch greenhouse market. Finally, the third phase validates the research from the previous two phases and consists of interviews with Dutch greenhouse owners. Ultimately, the overarching question our report should answer is how the shape of the Dutch greenhouse horticulture market affects the possible market entry of the Thermeleon Heat Battery.
