Geothermal consultancy business Upflow has been given the green-light to go ahead with research into sustainable geothermal food production. The project aims to develop a concept for an off-grid geothermal-powered glasshouse and has its own supply of carbon dioxide (CO2). Co-funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) through the sustainable food and fibre futures fund, the project will run for 18 months, with hopes that it will result in the construction of a demonstration facility where the concept can be put to the test.
Geothermal food production technology already exists, but so far it's not off-grid. Instead it relies on power generated by industrial power plants. Gourmet Mokai near Taupo is an example of geothermal food production in New Zealand. It uses power from the nearby Mokai geothermal power station to heat and power its glasshouses.
Paul Siratovich, co-founder and director of science and operations at Upflow, says their design is different because it can use low-heat geothermal areas like Te Puke and Paeroa to heat the glasshouses. Unlike existing geothermal food production systems, Upflow's design doesn't rely on buying CO2, a cost which hits glasshouse growers hard, along with the power-bill.
CO2 is a key component in plant photosynthesis, but there's not enough of it naturally occurring in glasshouses, so growers buy CO2 and pump it into glasshouses to increase plant growth. But there is a CO2 shortage in New Zealand and Australia, meaning prices for CO2 are high.
Read the entire article at Waikato Times