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This week, Terry Van Gelder, president at AGT Technologies, discusses why, after more than 40 years in the construction industry, he turned his attention to hybrid greenhouses for the cannabis industry. 

Van Gelder's hybrid greenhouses have a dual membrane system; essentially, it's a building inside a building insulated by a constant flow of hot air. In 2019, the innovative design received an Edison Award for energy and sustainability. 

Van Gelder uses a commercial building system rather than traditional greenhouse framing. He says it gives cannabis operators the ability to build indoor grow facilities of any size, in any location without traditional greenhouse limitations. For example, the sealed, cleanroom laboratory environment guarantees the purity and safety of crops. The buildings are also stronger to better stand up to the elements. 

The buildings have some interesting features, like oil bath fans that eliminate airborne contaminants, a reflective coating to amplify natural daylight and the ability to mimic other climates. It sounds ambitious, but Van Gelder has come up with a way to replicate climates from anywhere around the world. 

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