How Do Power Outages Impact Agricultural Greenhouse Businesses?

Profit depends on power to grow. Without electrical power, your profits wither and sink beneath the soil. Protecting your profits depends on your planning for hurricanes and tornadoes, floods and frosts. As a greenhouse operator, the preparations you take against the unexpected and total loss of power are crucial. The stronger your plan, and the more reliable your backup power, the more likely you are to weather the storm and maintain profitability when the skies clear.

When the Lights Go Out

Plants grown within greenhouses require consistent temperatures that should never drop below 45°F, and should never rise above 85°F. When the power goes down, your first line of defense against heat loss or heat gain are your ventilators and your insulation. Cell death occurs quickly when the temperature inside the greenhouse drops below freezing. Plants start to dehydrate and die of heat stress when the temperature rises above 85°F.

This is merely the first ripple and it is a harbinger of a tidal wave of problems to come. When power loss occurs, you will expend considerable resources as you attempt to keep your plants alive and nurse the survivors back to health. Production can come to a standstill and you risk falling out of compliance with established safety standards. Salvaging plants and returning to profitability can take months or even years to achieve. In many cases, thin profit margins mean that the road to recovery following power loss is longer than most greenhouse operators can sustain.

Protecting Your Operations

There are two ways you can protect your business against power disruptions and power loss. If disruptions and blackouts are common in your area, it is advisable to invest in either a portable or pad mounted backup generator. These are typically powered by LP gas, diesel, or gasoline. If you choose to make this wise investment, you will need to accurately assess the size of your greenhouse and select a generator that can deliver sufficient power for your needs through the typical duration of a power disruption. You will also need to allocate space for the placement of the generator and fuel storage.

Your other option is to work closely with the emergency services team at Gen-Tech. When the power goes down, our certified technicians can quickly assess your needs and rapidly deliver the power you need in a pinch. Our teams are deployed with all of the tools, equipment, and training required to restore power to your greenhouse. We ensure that your plants don’t feel the chill of a winter’s morning or wither under the midday heat of Phoenix’s summer sun.

You can leave the future of your business to the whims of weather or entrust it to the emergency response teams at Gen-Tech. Our teams are ready to resolve your power emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When you contact Gen-Tech at (800) 625-8324, our technicians will spring into action and deliver the power solutions that will minimize and mitigate damage to plants within your greenhouse.


Posted Under: Power outage