Saving cool cash on heating costs

Amy Stankiewicz

Imagine the heating bill for greenhouses located in northern climates, especially if they grow produce year-round. It might make you think twice about complaining about your home’s heating bills, even in the dead of winter.

In an effort to reduce their energy bills and maintain a more sustainable growing operation, two hydroponic greenhouses have turned to nearby power plants for their heat. Great Northern Hydroponics (GNH), in Kingsville, Ontario, has joined forces with a natural gas cogeneration plant next door that not only supplies the heat needed to grow millions of tomatoes; it also provides carbon dioxide to grow the fruit faster and larger.

The benefit of the cogeneration facility is to provide “cost-efficient heat and CO2 available for growing operations in the adjacent greenhouses,” says Guido van het Hof, president and general manager of Soave Agricultural Group (SAG). “The electricity sales to the grid help offset our energy bill.” Turn to page 16 of this issue to learn more about how GNH and SAG are finding the partnership mutually beneficial at a time when heating costs continue to grow.

In another innovative effort still in the planning stage in Vermont, Jeff Jones, managing partner of Vermont Hydroponic Produce, who currently operates greenhouses in Florence, Vt., and Quebec,, has signed onto a renewable energy project that would integrate two new five-acre greenhouses with a 29.5-megawatt biomass-fired power plant and wood pellet manufacturer. The Fair Haven Biomass Energy Center project still needs two permits to proceed. Construction is estimated to take two years once the project gets the green light.

The ultimate goal is truly intriguing — low-grade steam, waste heat and waste water will be piped directly to the greenhouses from the biomass power plant and the pellet facility, which would enable Vermont Hydroponic to grow tomatoes and other vegetables year-round You can read more about this exciting project on page 10.

Of course, these efforts are taking place with two fairly large greenhouses on board. But perhaps smaller greenhouses can learn a bit from the lessons these innovative growers are learning when it comes to saving energy costs and improving the overall sustainability of operations. After all, it’s all about saving costs wherever possible for greenhouses of all sizes. We hope you find our Innovations in Energy exclusive report in this issue helpful.

Amy Stankiewicz, Editor | astankiewicz@gie.net
216-236-5960 | Twitter: @Greenhousemag