Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) will help Big Marble Farms, a greenhouse near Medicine Hat to install new technology that will save millions of dollars on energy bills and produce more food for Albertans. ERA will deliver $2.2 million to Big Marble Farms to install cutting-edge horticultural grow lights to produce more tomatoes and cucumbers using less energy, at a lower cost.
“Big Marble Farms is a great example of what makes this region special,” said Justin Wright, Member of Legislative Assembly for Cypress-Medicine Hat during a press conference at Big Marble Farms on September 2. “This is the type of project that creates jobs, fosters growth and drives innovation.”
Big Marble Farms is a major player in the greenhouse industry. The farm is home to more than 496,000 cucumber plants, 385,000 tomato plants and 47,000 grow lights.
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The operation is a family-run greenhouse that has grown fresh vegetables for Albertans all year round for more than three decades.
“You support jobs, feed our communities and keep our economy growing and strong. You’re a leader in sustainable farming the sweetest pepper varieties in Canada. And today we’re celebrating another big step forward,” said Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas.
With the funding, Big Marble Farms is installing 5,000 new grow lights this fall. Since they will be able to grow more vegetables faster, and at a lower cost, more fresh local produce will be delivered to Alberta’s grocery shelves, said Schulz.
“It also means nearly $2 million in savings on energy bills, and a smaller environmental footprint, and fewer emissions. This is good news for our environment. It’s great news for our economy, and it’s good news for every single Albertan,” she said.
High energy costs are putting pressure on greenhouse operators, and when they struggle, our food supply does too, said Schulz.
By investing in technology, Albertans will have a stronger, more reliable food system, she said.
“We’re lowering costs, boosting production and keeping Alberta at the forefront of innovation,” she said. “The new lighting system will be up and running by November. That is fast.”
Luka Jungen, the Director of Energy Efficient programming with the ERA, said it has had the pleasure of working with Big Marble Farms over the years, not just with the current grow light project, but with other projects through the Energy Saving Services Program.
“Improving the efficiency of Alberta’s industrial and manufacturing processes and facilities is the quickest, most cost-effective way to lower your energy bills, and stay competitive. Low hanging fruit, if you will,” he said.
Reducing emissions takes knowledge, expertise, training and capital, said Jungen.
“This $60 million program targets key industries in Alberta; agriculture, forestry, mining, utilities, construction, manufacturing, transportation and many more,” he said.
Eligible facilities can access up to $50,000 for energy audits,up to $250,000 to implement energy management information systems, up to $100,000 to participate in strategic energy management training, and up to $1 million to invest in energy efficient retrofit projects.
“At its core, this program is about setting up Alberta’s industrial and manufacturing facilities for long term energy management success, building stronger in-house expertise and dealing with ongoing cost of energy savings,” he said.
The program, known as Strategic Energy Management for Industry (SEMI), was launched 11 months ago, and has been a huge success, with over $13 million allocated in program funding.
“At this current pace and with this high demand, the program will likely be subscribed before the anticipated end date of March 2027,” he said.
The SEMI program is expected to deliver over $150 million in economic activity, and over 1,250 jobs, directly and indirectly.
There will be up to $100 million of energy expenditure reduction, and 24 million tonnes of lifetime emissions reductions from capital project implementation, he said.
“Big Marble Farms is one of 200 expected facilities participating in SEMI. This program is a real success story in the province,” he said.
Ryan Cramer, CEO of Big Marble Farms, thanked the ERA, SEMI and the government of Alberta for the grant.
“Your support means so much to us at Big Marble Farms, and it shows real commitment to innovation and sustainability in agriculture,” he said.
“Now, for those of you that might not know what it takes to grow year round here in southern Alberta, we start by adding light and extending our day as early as September, and then we slowly stretch the day until the cucumbers are getting 20 hours of light, and our tomato plants are getting 18 hours of light,” he said.
“I always find it interesting that even with all the lights on, the intensity can’t match what we’re seeing right now on this hazy, smoky September day, and this is why we make up for it with longer days. This funding is helping us to take a big step forward,” he said.
The new lights that will be installed are LED fixtures that put out twice the light of the current ones with the same electricity input.
Cramer said the total light levels will be boosted by 50 per cent.
“We’ve done a two-and-a-half-acre trial over the past year, and we’ve already proven that this leads up to a 15 per cent increase in production. That means more food with the same footprint. This will be a $5 million project overall, and we’re excited and proud to be investing $3 million of our own funds alongside this grant. That’s how much we believe in this technology and in its future for farming. If we applied this across all our lit acreage, it would be like expanding 70 acres to 80 acres of greenhouse production area without using up more land or building more greenhouses. This is a sustainability success story; more lighting, greater efficiency and more food for western Canada,” he said.
The premier of Alberta was also in attendance.
