Soort project:: Project
Thema:: Solar applications

SHINE: Sustainable Hybrid Integrated Energy System

Status

September 2025 - August 2027

Partners

Verzuu Screen Development BV

Greenhouses need shade screens to protect crops, but these screens generate no energy. Traditional solar panels are not flexible in delivering shadow on demand and lead to ventilation problems in greenhouses. The challenge is to integrate flexible solar cells into a rollable screen that delivers shadow for the crops and turns the sunlight into electrical energy, without losing performance over time.

SHINE – Sustainable Hybrid Integrated Energy System is developing an innovative greenhouse screen that combines smart light management with on‑site solar energy generation. By integrating flexible solar cells into a movable screen, SHINE captures unused sunlight while maintaining optimal growing conditions for crops, supporting the transition to a climate‑neutral and economically resilient greenhouse sector by 2050.

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Solar island

At the heart of SHINE is a horizontally movable “solar island” that allows seamless control of shading while generating renewable electricity inside the greenhouse. The system components will be tested for the real-life situation and with this the concept can be designed for a real-world pilot at grower level. SHINE is a collaboration between TNO, Verzuu Screen Development BV and is co-funded by the European Union, with support from EFRO Oost – a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

After developing a PV-integrated screen, the roadmap focuses on up-scaling from a single component to a fully integrated energy and climate system by validating multi-season performance, coupled with greenhouse control and energy systems. The next phase then shifts towards further product development, cost-effective manufacturing, certification, and market deployment—laying the foundation for energy‑positive greenhouses and wider agrivoltaic applications.

More information

This project builds on the lessons learned from the world-first pilot with custom build PV modules integrated in shading screens. For more information, read the full news article.