How to sun a shaded vegetable garden in the city center? Junia in Lille
Read Junia ISA story in Lille
- Project: sun a shaded vegetable garden in the city center
- Location : Lille
- Client : Junia (Engineering school)
- Espaciel model installed : Solar Patio reflector
It's a
challenge to grow vegetables in a shady inner-city garden.
Espaciel has come up with a solution in the interior patio of the Institut Supérieur Agricole (ISA) in Lille, which is surrounded by buildings. This vegetable garden consists of an experimental greenhouse and a cultivation robot, the “farmbot”, whose operation depends mainly on constant LED lighting.
describes the challenge of growing vegetables in a vegetable garden located in the shade of the city centre, specifically in the inner patio of the Institut Supérieur Agricole (ISA) in Lille, surrounded by buildings. This vegetable garden consists of an experimental greenhouse and a cultivation robot, the ‘farmbot’, whose operation depends mainly on constant LED lighting.
The major challenge is
that plants need good light for photosynthesis, which is essential for their growth. However, the kitchen garden is located in an area that receives little natural light, making it difficult to grow vegetables, particularly fruit, which requires more light.
To remedy this problem, the ISA initiated a project to
improve the patio's natural lighting. A group of students worked together to study and select a technological solution:
the Patio Solaire reflectors from Espaciel.
These reflectors are placed high up and directed to project sunlight down into the patio. Twenty reflectors were installed, divided into two groups oriented to maximise lighting during the day.
The results are promising.
The reflectors increase the illuminance of the vegetable garden from 2,000 to 5,000 lux, and the rays of light move in time with the sun, providing a continuous source of light over different areas of the garden. This solution
simulates sufficient natural lighting for plant growth.
The project is one of the Life TREE ecological demonstrators at the Université Catholique de Lille. Monitoring is underway, with light sensors installed to analyse the impact of this installation on plant growth and natural lighting in the vegetable garden.
Read the
full article on the Espaciel blog
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