Kayes Reza, Dr. Rupp Carriveau and Under Sun Acres owner Chris DelGreco at Under Sun Acres in Leamington, Ont. (NAOMI PELKEY/The University of Windsor)
By Lindsay Charlton
From the University of Windsor’s Turbulence and Energy Lab to the greenhouse industry, a recent graduate is putting research into practice, tackling efficiency and sustainability challenges.
Kayes Reza (MASc ‘24) joined the team at Under Sun Acres, a Leamington greenhouse operation that uses advanced technology for sustainable solutions, as a cogeneration and heating system operator just weeks after graduation.
“We have a cogeneration system, which basically means it makes heat and electricity at the same time,” Reza explained.
“Four engines and five boilers produce heat for the greenhouses, while the electricity goes to the grid. We manage the system so it matches the plants’ heating needs and gives them the carbon dioxide they need for photosynthesis."
Reza calls Under Sun a “high-tech” greenhouse because of the way it uses cogeneration to provide heat and electricity efficiently, which is particularly beneficial in winter, a traditionally power-intensive season for greenhouses.
“On winter nights, when the temperature is -20C, the boilers we use to produce hot water for heat are not quite enough. But here, we use combined heat and power engines,” he said.
“Their main job is to produce electricity, but they also generate heat as a bonus — and that heat is essentially free. On top of that, we’re not burning any extra natural gas to make it, which makes the system very efficient and helps cut greenhouse gas emissions.”
Reza had already been working on a project relating to sustainable solutions while in the Turbulence and Energy Lab under directors Rupp Carriveau and David Ting.
Dr. Rupp Carriveau, Under Sun Acres owner Chris DelGreco and Kayes Reza at Under Sun Acres in Leamington, Ont. (NAOMI PELKEY/The University of Windsor)
The lab explores how turbulence and fluid flow affect systems like wind turbines, engines, greenhouses and solar panels. By testing new ways to recover heat and optimize energy use, the team develops technologies that improve efficiency and support more sustainable power solutions.
Funded by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) and Under Sun Acres, which served as one of the industry partners, Reza worked on a project integrating green energy, such as wind-generated hydrogen, with natural gas to fuel the cogeneration engines.
“The project was globally unique and featured innovation for the wind, hydrogen, natural gas, and greenhouse sectors which is why it also attracted major funding from Kruger Energy, Enbridge, and Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers,” noted Dr. Carriveau.
“Our objective was to produce a certain amount of hydrogen to mix with natural gas, which would then be burned in the cogeneration engines,” Reza said.
“That way, natural gas use would be lower. It was like a feasibility study — I gathered all the data on gas consumption, heat use and CO₂ requirements. So I was already very familiar with the company’s approach to energy sustainability and optimization.”
With thousands of acres of greenhouses across the region, efficiency improvements have the potential to reduce both operating costs and emissions significantly, noted Reza.
“This technology is already helping us reduce emissions, and there is potential to achieve even greater sustainability by integrating additional systems such as carbon capture, CO₂ utilization from Cogen exhaust, high-temperature heat pumps, and floating solar panels with battery energy storage for greenhouses,” he said.
“A lot of research is happening in this area, and we’re working with universities to explore those solutions. The future for greenhouses is very bright, and as engineers, we can play a big part in that.”