iyris™ SecondSky™ - proud winner of the 2023 AE50 and Davidson prizes
iyris™ SecondSky™ is a revolutionary advanced nano-particulate heat blocking material that absorbs heat (NIR) while allowing light to travel through it (PAR). When used in greenhouse covers and nets, iyris™ technologies save growers costs & scarce resources and improve crop yields.
iyris™ helping to Feed the World, Sustainably
Our story
In hot weather climates farmers have to address not only the challenges of spiralling energy costs but the scarcity of water too. The iyris™ team worked with the farming community to develop a comprehensive range of agricultural passive cooling coverings, providing improved yield and lower costs of production.
The iyris™ SecondSky™ team focused on developing solutions that deliver high levels of light (PAR) while reducing the negative impact of excess heat (NIR). Crucially, they aimed to create something that could simply be installed in farms and facilities with zero difference in the way existing coverings are installed or replaced. It was essential to the team that the materials delivered were as similar to industry standard, with the heat blocking built in.
The result, a range of coverings that farmers can easily install and that deliver immediate benefits by saving water, money, energy and improving yield.
Our founders – Prof. Derya Baran
Leading an academic research team at KAUST, Prof. Baran realised traditional research into greenhouse covers was focused on heat retention and transparency of materials.
In Europe, which has traditionally led the way in Controlled Environment Agriculture, the problem for growers was the need to retain heat in the greenhouse, while the manufacturers of plastics sought to optimise transparency at the lowest possible cost of manufacture.
Transferring that technology to extreme heat environments required a new solution. In collaboration with growers and agronomists, it was clear the challenge was toblock heat. A challenge that we now see increasingly impacting European growers in Spain, Italy and even the UK.
Instead of focusing on transparency, Prof. Baran aimed to understand how the light spectrum could be optimized for the crops underneath the covering – in effect, understanding how to exploit the most abundant free resource available to the farming community, the sun.
The iyris™ SecondSky™ product range is a result of years of both academic and field research, listening to and reacting to the requests of agronomists and farmers.
