Today’s episode continues our new special series “What Plants Crave from STEM.” In this new series, Dr. Sabeh will be interviewing equipment suppliers, manufacturers, and developers about the unique technological needs for growing crops indoors and greenhouses. This week we are continuing last week’s conversation with Craig Burg.

In the second part of the discussion, Craig Burg explores future trends in HVAC technology for controlled environment agriculture. He discusses the potential of heat pumps, the impact of energy codes, and the importance of understanding plant needs in designing HVAC systems. Burg also shares his vision for the future of HVAC and humidity control in indoor plant environments.

Craig Burg is the Vice President of Engineering for Desert Aire LLC. He has worked for Desert Aire for 24 years designing and leading product development as well as application efforts. He currently oversees research and development, custom system engineering, product testing, manufacturing engineering, and quality.

Timestamp Notes:

00:00:10 What are some of the early lessons you learned at Desert Aire?

00:05:25 What about outside air?

00:08:55 What do you see in the future of HVAC and humidity control for indoor plant environments?

00:14:00 Economies of scale

00:21:25 Do you see a future for heat pumps?

00:24:25 Energy codes in California and beyond

00:31:50 What do plants crave from technology?

00:33:18 Are plants high tech or low tech?

00:33:55 What is one piece of advice you’d give to a new grower?

00:34:45 What have indoor plant environments taught you?

00:35:45 If you could design a dehumidification system for something other than indoor plant environments, what would it be?

00:36:30 Which tool do you use the most: a ruler, a calculator, or a psychrometric chart?