RAGT Seeds – Glasshouse Decarbonisation

Project Snapshot

Client: RAGT Seeds
Sector: Private Sector – Agriculture & Crop Research
Building Type: Six commercial glasshouses
Project Scope: Heating, passive cooling and air circulation
Funding Route: Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
Our Role: Design and installation of ground source heating and passive cooling system
Technologies Used: Ground source heat pumps, thermal stores, passive cooling and BMS controls

The Decarbonisation Challenge

RAGT Seeds is a leading European agricultural plant breeder, operating a glasshouse facility in Cambridgeshire used to develop new crop varieties.

The initial brief was to reduce the cost and inefficiency of heating six glasshouses that had historically relied on LPG. With a U-value of around six, the glasshouses required constant heating during winter. The existing boiler struggled to keep up, leading to high fuel use, supply issues and uneven heat distribution.

RAGT also needed a new system to work with their existing grow tube infrastructure and maintain stable conditions to support plant development.

Key Delivery Considerations

From the outset, there were several critical factors to manage:

– Extremely high and continuous heating demand in winter
– Very poor thermal performance inherent to glasshouse structures
– A requirement to integrate with existing grow tubes
– Overheating issues in summer, with temperatures reaching up to 45°C
– The need to protect eligibility for Renewable Heat Incentive payments

The solution needed to deliver reliable heating, address overheating, and do so efficiently and compliantly.

Our Role

We worked closely with the RAGT team to fully understand the operational demands of the glasshouses and the temperature conditions required for crop development.

Beyond replacing the LPG system, we identified an opportunity to use the ground source installation to deliver both heating and passive cooling, creating a more stable growing environment throughout the year.

This required careful system design to ensure performance improvements did not compromise RHI eligibility.

The Solution

We specified and installed three Lämpöässä T120 ground source heat pumps, linked to three 2,400-litre Akvanti thermal stores. The system is connected to approximately 21,000 metres of ground collector loop and delivers a total output of around 350kW.

The system fully replaces the previous LPG boilers and is controlled via a Trend Building Management System.

To address summer overheating, we designed a bespoke passive cooling system using the stable temperature of the ground loop. Cool air is circulated through 24 Jaga AVS fan coil units – four per glasshouse – activated automatically if temperatures rise by more than 1°C above target.

This passive approach delivers effective cooling and air circulation using minimal additional energy.

Delivery & Outcomes

The new system has delivered major operational and environmental benefits:

– Reliable, efficient heating replacing LPG entirely
– Stable year-round temperatures within the glasshouses
– Effective passive cooling during summer months
– Significantly reduced energy consumption and emissions
– Improved air circulation, described as a ‘gentle summer breeze’
– Enhanced plant growth and reduced reliance on chemical inputs

The project also qualifies for long-term RHI payments, supporting strong financial returns.

The Client’s Voice

Steve Brown, Operations and Production Manager at RAGT Seeds, said:

“The ground source heat pump system is delivering everything we hoped for at a lower energy cost than expected. The quality of workmanship was exceptional, with obvious care and pride taken throughout the installation.

We expect the system to make a huge contribution to our energy efficiency, improve glasshouse productivity, dramatically reduce emissions and enable a reduced use of chemical fungicides. With the additional benefit of RHI income over the next 20 years, this has been a very successful project.”

Recognition

This project won **Non-Domestic Ground Source Project of the Year** at the National ACR & Heat Pump Awards 2017.