Plan My Commercial Greenhouse.
One climate-aware planning tool for commercial greenhouse projects from 1 hectare upward. Model water, cooling and heating, energy, CAPEX, OPEX, yield and ROI across 15 priority markets — Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa, Mexico, Peru and Chile — then hand the whole project brief to a turnkey RFQ without re-typing anything.
How do I plan a commercial greenhouse project?
Define country and climate, project type (new, expansion or modernization), area, crop, growing system and technology level. From those, size water demand and storage, cooling or heating capacity, energy load, indicative CAPEX and OPEX ranges, conservative-to-strong yield and ROI scenarios — then take the brief to suppliers as a single RFQ.
- Indicative CAPEX: USD 250k–450k/ha basic, 450k–900k/ha mid-tech, 0.9–1.6M/ha high-tech, 1.4–2.4M/ha fully controlled.
- Water: 3.5–6 L/m²/day average, 6–9 L/m²/day peak depending on country and crop.
- Cooling-led markets: Saudi Arabia, Egypt. Heat-led: Kazakhstan. Mixed: Uzbekistan. Water/upgrade-led: Morocco.
- SeedMatchGroup does not manufacture greenhouses and does not guarantee yield, ROI or financing.
Estimate only — not a quotation. Outputs are indicative planning ranges based on the values you enter and typical commercial benchmarks. Real pricing, specifications and lead times vary by country, site conditions and supplier, and are confirmed only in written offers collected through a private RFQ.
Project inputs
Modernization mode prices retrofit packages instead of a full build.
Structure type is recommended from climate — you don't need to specify it.
Planning estimate only — not a supplier quotation. Structural, hydraulic and climate engineering must be validated by qualified suppliers and engineers.
What Portugal actually requires
Atlantic-Mediterranean — mild winters, hot dry summers inland, high radiation in the Algarve and Alentejo, coastal wind and salt exposure.
Portugal suits a wind-rated multi-span with shade and thermal screens, generous ventilation, substrate or hydroponic berry and vegetable growing, closed fertigation with drain recovery, reservoir storage matched to the irrigation quota, and rooftop PV to offset pumping and climate electricity.
- • Natural ventilation with roof vents
- • Fogging or shading during summer peaks
- • Light frost-protection heating
- • Single thermal screen
- • Buffer storage sized on peak day
- • Sand / disc filtration
- • EC/pH controlled fertigation
- • Drain recovery and recycling
- • Iron and hardness treatment as required
Water model
Alentejo projects draw largely on the Alqueva irrigation network with allocated quotas; Algarve and coastal sites rely on boreholes exposed to salinity, so storage, blending and drain recovery are usually in scope.
Likely water scope: filtration, buffer storage, drain recovery and recycling, EC/pH fertigation.
Energy model
Solar can offset part of the daytime electrical load — pumping, fertigation, controls and some cooling. It does not deliver energy independence, and it does not replace a heat source in cold-winter markets.
Indicative project CAPEX
Planning range for budgeting and financing conversations. A supplier quotation replaces these numbers once scope is fixed.
| Category | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Greenhouse structure | USD 2,700,000 | USD 4,800,000 |
| Covering / cladding | USD 720,000 | USD 1,280,000 |
| Climate systems (cooling / heating) | USD 1,440,000 | USD 2,560,000 |
| Irrigation & fertigation | USD 900,000 | USD 1,600,000 |
| Pumps, storage & water treatment | USD 720,000 | USD 1,280,000 |
| Automation & controls | USD 540,000 | USD 960,000 |
| Growing system | USD 720,000 | USD 1,280,000 |
| Electrical | USD 450,000 | USD 800,000 |
| Installation, engineering & commissioning | USD 810,000 | USD 1,440,000 |
| Solar PV + storage | USD 1,200,000 | USD 2,600,000 |
| Total indicative CAPEX | USD 10,200,000 | USD 18,600,000 |
Annual OPEX
Indicative yield
Yield is never guaranteed. Actual production depends on cultivar, crop management, local climate, pest and disease pressure, nutrition, water quality and operator skill.
ROI scenarios
Scenario ranges, not forecasts. No ROI, payback, yield, water saving or financing outcome is guaranteed.
Sourcing categories for this project
Zone layout, emitters and hydraulics for the calculated flow.
OpenEC/pH dosing sized to the daily volume above.
OpenPeak-day flow and pressure for the irrigation loop.
OpenFiltration, disinfection and RO polishing where required.
OpenPV and storage sized against the electrical load.
OpenCultivar selection matched to climate and market window.
OpenCheck project financing options
With an indicative CAPEX of USD 10,200,000–USD 18,600,000 in Portugal, financing routes are worth checking early — equipment leasing, agri project finance, trade finance or DFI-backed lines. You'll be asked about company and land status, equity contribution, required amount and project stage. Approval is never guaranteed.
Send these numbers to the RFQ Builder
The numbers below were calculated with SeedMatchGroup's Turnkey greenhouse project plan — Portugal. Indicative — the specialist will confirm scope before contacting suppliers.
20 inputs · assumptions · results
Frequently asked questions
What can change the result?
This is a preliminary planning estimate based on the values you entered. The variables below usually move the outcome most, and should be confirmed with an agronomist, engineer and supplier offers before final design.
- Crop and cultivar — water, climate and support requirements differ per crop
- Growing area and layout — hectares alone are not a greenhouse specification
- Local climate: temperature, humidity, radiation and wind exposure
- Growing system (soil, substrate, hydroponic) and plant density
Questions this calculator answers
Typical buyer and investor searches this tool is built for, including the markets where we run the most commercial projects.
- commercial greenhouse construction cost per hectare for a commercial project
- commercial greenhouse construction cost for a 2-hectare project — India
- commercial greenhouse construction cost: indicative planning ranges — Kenya
- commercial greenhouse construction cost benchmarks for investors — Saudi Arabia
- commercial greenhouse construction cost under local market conditions — Mexico
- commercial greenhouse construction cost — what to specify in a supplier RFQ
Plan the project around the numbers
A calculator output is a starting point. Pair it with the planning guides below to align timeline, irrigation, budget and risk before you launch an RFQ.
One private brief, specialist review, private supplier research and a like-for-like comparison.
Month-by-month schedule from concept to first harvest across 9 stages.
Design principles for drip, pivot, fertigation and filtration on commercial projects.
How CAPEX, working capital and operating cost drive the project business case.
The ten most expensive planning and procurement pitfalls — and how to avoid them.
Procurement answers behind these numbers
A model output only holds if the scope, contract route and delivery terms match the assumptions. These reference answers cover the commercial decisions that move the figure.
- Turnkey EPC vs separate equipment packages
- What belongs in a greenhouse equipment specification
- Normal payment milestones in equipment contracts
- Which Incoterms to use for greenhouse and irrigation equipment
- How long a commercial greenhouse takes from order to handover
- What is normally the owner's scope on a greenhouse project
Move plan my commercial greenhouse. into a structured RFQ
Editorial · not a sales pitchCalculator outputs are indicative. When your numbers stabilise, a supplier-neutral RFQ turns those estimates into comparable offers from verified providers.
The facts a complete, supplier-neutral request on this topic includes. Use it as a checklist before submitting.
- Covered area (m² or ha), bay/gutter layout preference and target gutter height
- Site location, altitude and design loads (wind, snow, seismic) if known
- Crop and production system (soil, substrate, hydroponic, nursery)
- Covering choice: polyethylene film, polycarbonate or glass — and expected lifetime
- Climate scope: ventilation, screens, heating, cooling/pad-fan, CO₂, controls
- Irrigation/fertigation scope and water source quality
- Target commissioning date, phasing and budget band (USD $250K+)
- Incoterms, destination port/site and who handles civil works and erection
- Site plan or coordinates with plot dimensions
- Soil/water analysis where available
- Any existing concept drawing, BOQ or previous supplier offer
Opens the RFQ Builder pre-scoped as a greenhouse project so suppliers quote structure, covering, climate and irrigation on the same basis. You stay in control — nothing is submitted until you review and confirm.
Free to submit · supplier-neutral · reviewed by a specialist before any supplier is contacted.
Running these numbers for a client project?
Agronomists, greenhouse and irrigation consultants use this calculator for feasibility, then hand the project to us for supplier shortlisting, RFQ preparation and quote comparison. You stay client-facing and we work through you.
Your client relationship stays with you — we work through you and never contact your client unless you ask.
Indicative only
- This tool is indicative only.
- It is not financial advice.
- It is not agronomic advice.
- It is not engineering design.
- Final numbers require supplier, agronomist, engineer and local regulatory review.
SeedMatch Group is an independent agricultural project sourcing and RFQ platform. We are not a farm, seed producer, fertilizer manufacturer, irrigation manufacturer, greenhouse builder, EPC contractor, lender or financial advisor. Supplier and project partner outreach is handled only after a commercial project brief is reviewed.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. SeedMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every agriculture project request is reviewed manually by David / SeedMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.