Germany:

Giant "Fossil-Free", Geothermal-Powered Glasshouse Goes into Production (Horticulture Week)

Almost entirely self-sufficient, Bavaria's largest glasshouse has now begun yielding an anticipated 4,400 tonnes of tomatoes and peppers per year, thanks to geothermal heat.

Steiner Vegetables invested €17.5m (£14m) to construct the 12 hectares of glass in the municipality of Kirchweidach in partnership with a local geothermal specialist, which took two years.

The energy use is complemented by recycled hot water from residential heating, biogas and photovoltaic. It is also self-sufficient in water use, and use of insecticides is avoided.

While installation costs of geothermal are higher than for conventionally heated structures, the heat is up to 70 per cent cheaper than oil or gas, according to owner Josef Steiner.

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