Beyond the Biomes – Eden Geothermal empowers agriculture and education in the UK
Eden Project Living Landscape team Annalice Line and Sofia Parra at Growing Point (source: Eden Geothermal)
Carlo Cariaga
22 May 2024
Geothermal heat supply to the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK has been a historical feat, but the benefits of geothermal also extend to agriculture and education.
The past winter saw a first for the UK since 1986 – the world-famous Biomes of The Eden Project were heated by deep geothermal energy from a 5-km well located on the Eden Project site and operated by Eden Geothermal Ltd (EGL). Beyond heating the Biomes and the offices, however, geothermal energy was an integral part of the brand-new plant nursery and education facility that has been constructed outside the Biomes.
The geothermal project is expected to save up to 500 tonnes of CO2 per year and take the Eden Project almost entirely off gas, or equivalent to about 227 UK homes. This is a major step in the organization’s pathway to achieving net zero and realizing its goal of becoming climate positive by 2030.
Regenerative sustainability
Regenerative sustainability is the practice of making things better than they were, rather than simply doing less harm. This can be applied to environmental, social and economic initiatives. Circular systems, or circular economy, is a model of minimising or eliminating wastage and making the most of resources by reusing, recycling and regenerating materials.
The concept is at the core of the construction, operation, and purpose of the Growing Point nursery. The nursery enables Eden Project’s Horticulture team the capability to propagate and take care of one million plants per year. This supports the organisation’s valuable living collections for its Rainforest and Mediterranean Biomes, Outdoor Gardens, and Outer Estate.\
The facility was built from light, recyclable materials, harvests rainwater from the sky, and utilizes geothermal heat to grow plants. Included within the build is rubble collected from the landslips that affected the Eden Project during heavy rainfall and floods in 2020, and granite and limestone excavated from the site’s rainwater collection pond.
Growing ambitions
“We have built a landmark sustainable nursery and education facility – a pillar of our wider ambitions for the future impact and expansion of the Eden Project, and it will help us accelerate massively our mission towards a climate-positive future,” said Si Bellamy, Eden Project’s Chief Transformation Officer.
With deep geothermal heat, the horticulture team is able to grow produce, such as herbs, fruits, and vegetables over a longer seasonal period. The facility can also exotic produce such as bananas, papaya, ginger, and lemongrass, which would normally need to be imported.
The facility opens up a world of creative possibilities for Eden Project’s chefs, demonstrating a sustainable, circular food system while connecting visitors to the produce and their stories told throughout the destination’s botanical and cultural exhibits. Produce from the facility already feed thousands of visitors each year for establishments that operate within food meters rather than food miles.
Beyond its vast plant production capabilities, Growing Point includes world-class facilities for Eden Project Learning students, apprentices and other learners. These include a state-of-the-art soil science and teaching laboratory created in partnership with Cornwall College and funded by the Shared Prosperity Fund.
Growing Point is also the home of the Eden Project’s National Wildflower Centre, and the CHAOS group, a community interest social group that provides a space for those with physical and emotional needs to develop work and social skills in a safe and welcoming space.
Source: Email correspondence
