It's all fun and games until the lights go out.
From Bloomberg, Sept. 30, 2021:
Skyrocketing power prices are forcing the vast network of Dutch glasshouses -- the continent’s biggest -- to go dark or scale back, threatening to cut supplies at Europe’s fruit and vegetable stalls and flower shops.
Although small, the Netherlands is the world’s second-largest exporter of food by value, thanks in part to its high-yielding glasshouses that span some 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) -- about the size of Paris. They grow vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers and flowers including orchids, tulips and chrysanthemums -- making the country one of Europe’s key suppliers of fresh produce and a huge hub for the floral trade. In 2020, Dutch exports of greenhouse produce amounted to 9.2 billion euros ($10.7 billion).
But heating these sprawling glass structures uses up to 3 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year, or about 8.2% of the country’s overall consumption of the fuel. Europe’s soaring energy prices are having a “massive impact” on the sector, said Cindy van Rijswick, a senior analyst at Rabobank. That’s driving some producers to cut back on lighting, end the growing season early or plan to start later next spring.
“These are drastic measures that reduce production and yield and have major economic consequences for the companies,” according to industry association Glastuinbouw Nederland. “We cannot rule out whether consumers will also pay more for their vegetables, flowers and plants.”
Any fruit and vegetable shortages could further stoke food inflation, with a United Nations index of world prices hovering near a decade high. Grain harvests were hit by bad weather, shipping costs are soaring and worker shortages abound from farms to restaurants. The energy crunch could exacerbate those problems -- rippling through not just greenhouses, but also costs for fertilizers spread to boost crop yields.....
....MUCH MORE
HT: ZH
If interested see also: Vaclav Smil: "How Much Energy Does It Take to Grow a Tomato?"
