The greenhouse industry in Iceland is based on abundant geothermal energy in form of steam or hot water. The annual use of geothermal energy in greenhouses is approx. 216 GWh/yr that accounts for 80% of the geothermal and hydroelectric energy used in horticulture. Other uses of geothermal energy are soil disinfection, 6 GWh/yr and soil heating in the cultivation of field vegetables, 15 GWh/yr. Artificial light has become anintegral part of production in greenhouses to increase yield during the dark winter months. Cut flowers are now produced year-round with artificial light and this application is expected to increase substantially in vegetable production in the next decade. High-pressure sodium lamps, which are used for lighting, produce a lot of energy as heat that will partly substitute geothermal energy as a source for heating of the greenhouse, i.e. if no new lamp types will become available. Better cultivation techniques will also give more yield pr. m 2 resulting in a decreased greenhouse area. Theestimated use of geothermal energy for heating greenhouses will therefore only be 114 GWh/yr in year 2011 that is approximately 60% of total geothermal and hydroelectric use in horticulture. No major changes in usage of geothermal energy for soil disinfection or soil heating in field vegetables are expected in this period. Soil heating in sports fieldsmight increase in the next decade resulting in an annual use of 20 GWh/yr.

Press the Back button in your browser, or search again.

Copyright 2003, Geothermal Association of Iceland: Readers who download papers from this site should honor the copyright of the original authors and may not copy or distribute the work further without the permission of the original publisher.