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Mulberry School for Girls has two south-facing glasshouses suspended above the main courtyard. These rooms were extremely hot in summer and very cold in winter and consequently of limited use for plant growth. The school has now installed large-capacity extraction fans, high-pressure sodium lamps, two hydroponics systems, and the capacity to control levels of carbon dioxide.
The team plans to instal a solar photovoltaic system sufficient to meet a significant proportion of the electricity demands of the grow-rooms. The project aims to make a visible link between energy generation and consumption, and raise awareness of some technological responses to the need for sustainable food production and associated energy use.
The team will establish a business through collaboration between Science, Food Technology, Hospitality and Catering, and Business Studies. Groups of students will take responsibility for researching, growing and harvesting foods; and selling to the Mulberry Diner, our well-established lunchtime venue where students cook for staff.
This is a very ambitious and innovative project that could produce results that would be of value in many other places. The project is supported by an excellent team.