What if your reservoir could do more than store water?

The breakthrough isn't a new technology

One misconception surfaced repeatedly during the discussion. Many assume the next breakthrough will come from a revolutionary invention. The panel largely disagreed.
Floating solar, water-source heat pumps, thermal storage, battery systems and smart energy management already exist. What's changing is the way these technologies work together.

Electricity generated by floating solar can power a heat pump. Thermal energy can be stored in the reservoir and used when demand increases. Batteries help balance electricity demand, while CHP installations continue to provide flexibility where needed. Software coordinates the entire system, deciding which energy source delivers the best result at any given moment.

As Richard Nieuwenhuizen (Aquasol Solar) pointed out, future greenhouses will not depend on a single energy source, but on the ability to switch intelligently between many. The innovation, therefore, isn't the equipment itself—it's the orchestration.

That integrated approach has become even more relevant as grid congestion limits the ability of growers to expand their electricity connections. Energy that can be generated, stored or recovered on site is becoming increasingly valuable. Water storage fits naturally into that equation because it allows thermal energy to be shifted through time, adding flexibility to the entire energy system.

The same principle applies to floating solar. Reservoirs already occupy valuable space within greenhouse operations, making them an ideal location for renewable electricity generation without sacrificing productive growing area. At the same time, the panels reduce evaporation, limit algae growth and contribute to more stable water temperatures. Infrastructure is no longer expected to perform just one task. Increasingly, every asset is expected to fulfil multiple functions.

More than a reservoir

One message remained remarkably consistent throughout the seminar: there is no universal blueprint. A reservoir in Spain behaves differently from one in Canada, just as a tomato grower faces different challenges than a strawberry producer. Climate, crop strategy, reservoir size, water temperature and local energy prices all influence the best solution.

According to Chrétien Hendriks (Genap), Infrastructure is no longer expected to perform just one task. Increasingly, every asset is expected to fulfil multiple functions. Water storage fits naturally into that equation because it allows thermal energy to be shifted through time, adding flexibility to the entire energy system.

Perhaps the seminar's most valuable conclusion, however, had little to do with technology.
For decades, irrigation, climate control and energy management have evolved as separate disciplines. That distinction is rapidly disappearing. Water influences crop performance, renewable electricity powers heating and cooling systems, while digital controls determine when energy should be stored, recovered or exchanged. Together, these technologies form a single ecosystem in which water becomes the connecting element between irrigation and energy management.

That may ultimately be the seminar's most important takeaway. The greenhouse of tomorrow won't simply use water to grow crops. It will use water to manage energy more intelligently, transforming one of its oldest assets into one of its most valuable.