When Automation Fails: Heatwave Scorches Greenhouse Grapes & Orchids

Dr. Russell Sharp discusses how environmental automation can help grow rooms and greenhouses — and what happens when it breaks. He recounts a Dutch grape nursery where vent failures during a heatwave pushed temperatures over 50°C (122°F), ruining about 95% of the harvest, and an orchid grower who lost roughly 75% of his crop after a power outage disabled vents and shade systems.

The episode underlines the need for fail-safes, backup power, and contingency planning for automated systems, and notes the human and financial toll on growers, as well as potential mitigation steps like alternative revenue streams and resilient infrastructure.

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