The greenhouse horticulture sector has emission reduction targets for 2030 and the ambition to become climate-neutral by 2040. This has various implications for the use of CO2 in the sector, which is currently largely sourced from fossil fuels. In this study, we inventory the opportunities and threats for the application of sustainable CO2 in greenhouse horticulture for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Nature (LVVN).
This report first maps out the potential supply of sustainable CO2 in the Netherlands and the developments in demand from various applications. We also describe the developments towards a market mechanism for sustainable CO2. We conclude that there will be scarcity of sustainable CO2 both in the short and long term. The actual extent of this scarcity and its consequences for greenhouse horticulture depend on factors such as the Netherlands’ efforts in carbon removal, the possible establishment of synfuel factories in the Netherlands, and the production of bio-energy and bio-ethanol. Both demand and supply remain highly uncertain.
The report also includes a broad inventory of measures through which the supply of sustainable CO2 can be increased to meet the needs of the greenhouse horticulture sector.