Topic 1: DAC systems for CO₂ dosing in greenhouses.

Company description:

Enova was founded in 2005 and is based in Capelle aan den IJssel. The company specializes in developing, delivering, and maintaining energy management software for large businesses and providing grid management services.

The company offers a complete energy management software package through its SaaS (Software as a Service) Energy Management Software (EMS). Additionally, Enova’s Grid Management Service (GMS) provides grid balancing services for transmission system operators, by pooling the reserves of its customers' energy consumption and/or production units.

Enova currently has over 250 customers in the Netherlands, UK, and France. The GMS business has been growing rapidly due to the increasing need to balance power supply, while the EMS business has also seen steady growth. The client base today is mainly in the Dutch horticultural sector, but also other sectors such as cold stores, wind and solar parks.

In February 2023, Enova was acquired by Nasdaq Stockholm-listed Swedish company Vitec Software Group.

Topic description:

Greenhouse growers in the Netherlands are facing multiple challenges to decrease their carbon footprint and become more sustainable.

Many different crops in greenhouses require increased concentrations of CO₂ in the greenhouse. Traditionally, CO₂ was captured from flue gases from the natural gas boiler which was used to heat the greenhouse. Today, greenhouses are mostly heated using CHP engines. This allows greenhouses to deliver power back to the grid at times of low renewable electricity production. CHP engines also have the option to capture CO­₂ and dose this into the greenhouse. However, CO₂ is only required during daylight hours, when there’s also a high supply of renewable (solar) electricity. This mismatch leads to difficulties in dosing CO₂ from CHP flue gases, and the need for an alternative source of CO₂. Presently, many greenhouses make use of liquid CO₂ sources, but these are growing more expensive due to limited supply and increasing demand. An alternative source of CO₂ could be Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems, which remove CO₂ from the air. The feasibility of this depends on different variables such as CO₂ demand, load profiles and electricity prices. Developing a business case and performing economic analyses on DAC systems would provide insights into the economic and sustainable potential of these systems.

Potential research questions could be:

• What is the potential of DAC systems for reducing carbon footprint in greenhouses?
• What is the economic potential of DAC systems for greenhouse growers?

Assignment:

Develop a business case for a DAC system and perform economic analyses based multiple greenhouse scenario’s.

Profile:

Master’s student with a strong affinity for energy and sustainability, known for being entrepreneurial, analytical, innovative, and a collaborative team player.

Practicalities:

• Preferred timeline: February 2025 until Summer 2025
• Language requirement: Dutch and English
• Reimbursement: 800 EUR per month
• Future opportunity: Fulltime position within Enova