USA, Idaho:

Growing with Geothermal Energy (Greenhouse Management)

Ward’s Greenhouse in Garden Valley, Idaho taps into geothermal heat to improve growing operations.

"Geothermal heat is the cleanest and smartest way to heat a greenhouse. Cost efficiency is unmatched and there are no industrial wastes created in this process. Geothermal heat allows us to flow fresh air and sunlight through our greenhouses day and night."

The mountain-shaded location of Ward's Greenhouse presents challenges, from limited sunlight to occasional mudslides. But the Wards prevailed by tapping into the unique geography — specifically, into natural hot water from a nearby creek to generate geothermal heat.

Douglas Ward keeps innovating to maximize the competitive benefits of geothermal heat – which differentiates the greenhouse and its products.

“We can use more heat than almost all of our competitors, because we have it available,” Ward says. “This time of year, when it’s getting cold and you’ve got 50,000 poinsettias growing, you don’t have to worry, ‘Should we grow them two degrees colder or should we heat them up and pay the price on heating oil or gas?’ We’re immune to that problem, so we can grow a quality product and we can afford to put more fertilizer into the product because of our savings on heat.”

Read More.......