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Greenhouses in North Holland are able to cut back on gas due to geothermal energy

Greenhouses in North Holland are able to cut back on gas due to geothermal energy Greenhouse operations, Netherlands (source: flickr/ Jeroen van Luin, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 23 Feb 2018

A new project allows greenhouse operators in North Holland in the Netherlands to cut back on natural gas use for heating utilising a new well drilled utilising geothermal energy.

Greenhouse operators in Andijk in North Holland in the Netherlands are now able to cut around 50% back of natural gas this coming autumn. The geothermal energy project at the Nieuwe Dijk is found to have enough capacity to supply 130 hectares of greenhouses with heat. This is evident from the last tests on site.

The project drilled a well to a depth of around 2,000 meters. The water that is pumped upwards is about 80 degrees Celsius and thus warm enough to heat part of the greenhouses.

Laurens Vlaar is the Licensing & Safety Manager at the Energy Combination Wieringermeer (ECW), the organization that started the geothermal project together with the local growers. “The ultimate goal is to be able to do without gas. To ensure a sustainable and independent energy supply through a combination of various techniques, one of which is geothermal energy, one that does not or hardly tax the environment. projects such as these are being made an important start. ”

ECW has already gained experience with geothermal energy. At Agriport A7, ECW has already completed a geothermal energy project in combination with horticulturalists. Six wells have been drilled there.

Source: Duurzam Bedrijfsleven