The sun is lower to the horizon during Autumn and winter than during the summer, furthermore, greenhouse glass is condensed most parts of the day. SmartGlass from Glascom International easily adjusts itself to these conditions. The glass transits more light in the greenhouse during dark periods. SmartGlass is now available on the Dutch market.
Glascom International from Maasdijk is a leading Dutch supplier of greenhouse glass and is exclusive partner with DA Glass, with offices in Poland and the United States. DA Glass developed a new type diffuse glass based on tempered floatglass. Glascom International brings this glass exclusively on the market under the name SmartGlass.
Hydrophilic and smooth surface structure
SmartGlass has some intelligent properties compared to traditional greenhouse glass. For example, the glass has a very smooth surface structure. Dirt hardly attaches to the surface. Likewise, the glass is hydrophilic: condensed water doesn’t form droplets (which can fall down), but forms a thin film flowing to the drain (and also drains some remaining dirt).
More transition during humid weather
The biggest innovation of SmartGlass is the ‘adaptive haze’ property. A patented modification to the basic glass causes diffuse light distribution. The haze (the amount that the light scatters) drops if the glass is moist, at the same time the glass becomes clearer and the light transition increases with several percent points. This happens in contrary to other glass products, those transit less light when moist.
‘Winterlight-greenhouse’
Glascom International is with SmartGlass one of the consortium-partners in the ‘winterlight-greenhouse’, a research project of Wageningen UR. The goal of this project is to develop a greenhouse that has maximum light transition during the period between October and April. To put it in another perspective, the goal is to build a greenhouse with low investment costs and energy consumption, that can realize high crop yield. Furthermore, some large greenhouses in Europe and the United States have been built using SmartGlass.
Different versions
SmartGlass from Glascom International is also obtainable in large amounts and is available in three different types: low haze, mid haze and high haze, with or without antireflection treatment. The glass can also get a antireflection treatment specified for horticultural purposes.