Closed Ecological Environment
Closed Ecological Environment systems, or CEE is the new paradigm that replaces the CEA approach to protected food production, The CEE is not constrained by the scarcity of the fossil energy, synthetic inputs including fertilizers and light from lamps, plus water that are consumed in the old CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture otherwise known as "all season" greenhouses) paradigms. CEE operates as a Closed Atmosphere with enriched CO 2 and no losses of GHG, nor any pollution from effluents.
The 1st “sheltered growing” technology is the “greenhouse”, that holds a large market share today, but has increasing difficulty to sustain of “out of season” growing and lacks capacity to deal with the challenges of extreme Climate Change. The most advanced growers have adapted greenhouses to create a 2nd generation greenhouse for "Controlled Environment Agriculture" technology; but, “CEA” as the pinnacle of the greenhouse paradigm, demands the very highest energy consumption. The technical positioning of CEA is the application of high-cost, high-energy mechanical and synthetic processes and inputs, including lamp energy as synthetic light, that results in an extremely large carbon footprint per Kg of food produced (much higher than the food-miles associated with field grown consumer food products).
Now the POD Pioneers are pushing the envelope to make the jump to CEE, enabled by Agri POD, as the 3rd evolution that is a low-energy, low-input "Closed Ecological Environment" solution for the 21st Century. The CEE paradigm achieves an even higher standard of "environmental control" by implementing a deeper knowledge of living systems with natural and biomimicry solutions that are are not focused on man-made synthetic resources, but on the natural, regenerative resources created by living, whole ecological systems that are also know as Closed Ecological Life Support Systems. The abundance produced by the new CEE systems can exceed that of the proven CEA and can include the use of the advanced technologies of the old paradigm that are combined with the next generation of CEE. The outcomes, as would be expected with a paradigm shift, are freed from the constraints of scarce inputs that are consumed to drive the CEA. Renewable energy resources (especially conversion of solar energy with photosynthesis) are generated in surplus as the CEE operates, providing a surplus of biofuel that is constantly regenerated (as is the water) and thus not limited by unsustainable levels of consumption of fossil energy, synthetic fertilizer and fresh water, as is previous field agriculture and greenhouse & CEA operations.