Monday, December 3, 2018

Iceland: Geothermal Heat Helps Grow Tomatoes and Cucumbers in Cold Climate

How Iceland harnesses hot springs to power year-round farming (World Economic Forum)


For half the year, the temperature on Pall Olafsson's remote farm in Iceland often dips below freezing and the sun barely makes an appearance.

Yet the heat and light in his greenhouses allow Olafsson to grow his juicy tomatoes and cucumbers even in the depths of winter - thanks largely to the geothermal energy that gives his tiny North Atlantic nation its title, the Land of Fire and Ice.

Olafsson credits the hot springs that bubble up from the earth a short distance away with turning Hveravellir into one of Iceland's biggest vegetable farms, producing about 500 tonnes of tomatoes, cucumber and paprika a year.