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Geothermal continues to drive growth of Dutch greenhouse operations

Geothermal continues to drive growth of Dutch greenhouse operations Greenhouse operations, Netherlands (source: flickr/ Jeroen van Luin, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 1 Aug 2016

Greenhouse operators in the Netherlands continue to implement geothermal into their heating schemes to become independent from gas price fluctuations and cut costs in the long run.

Geothermal energy continues to be a key driver for Dutch greenhouse operators. Reported in mid-July, a consortium of nine Dutch growers started to utilise geothermal water from 2,000 meter deep wells from a project started in 2014.

The Consortium of Geothermal Vierpolders is now using geothermal to heat glasshouses covering around 49 hectares in the southwest of the Netherlands near Rotterdam.

While still using some natural gas for heating purposes, the operators hope to cut down the use of currently 1.2 million cubic meters of natural gas for heating to about 400,000 cubic meters.

Sustainability of the source and independence from gas prices is seen as a key element for the Dutch greenhouse sector increasingly seeking to tap into geothermal energy for heating.

Source: Fresh Fruit Portal