Green Energy and Tomatoes – A Splendid Combination
By Vanessa Richins
There’s a fascinating new development in Ontario, Canada.
Great Northern Hydroponics is now harnessing green energy from a tri-generation power plant to grow tomato plants.
The new energy is allowing Great Northern Hydroponics to stay competitive with Mexico and the United States.
Previously, it had been difficult since it took much more energy to heat up the greenhouses than in those warmer countries. With the new energy system, they can heat the greenhouses more efficiently and lower costs.
David Stoyka, a senior account representative from Marx Layne & Co, which works with Great Northern Hydroponics, explains how Tri-generation power works. “As a Tri-generation power facility, GNH {has a} simultaneous production of three forms of energy — electricity, heating and cooling.
It burns natural gas and uses exhaust scrubbing technology to clean and extract the carbon dioxide (CO2) from the engine exhaust, then transfers the clean CO2 to the greenhouse to be used as fertilizer for the tomato plants (plants use the CO2, water and fertilizer to produce food and oxygen). For more than 10 years the technology has been in wide use throughout Western Europe, but this is its first application in North America.”
No CO2 is released into the atmosphere with this process, so Great Northern Hydroponics can be classified as an overall user of CO2.
Water is also used to cool down the engines. This heats up the water, which is then used to heat the greenhouse. Local utility companies will be using the electricity produced by the engines.
The greenhouses are located in Kingsville, Ontario. They are able to produce more than 20,282,528 pounds of tomatoes in 50 acres of greenhouses. GNH is the first hydroponics greenhouse that is certified to be compliant with ISO 9001-2000. They have also gotten high ratings for food quality and safety. No pesticides or herbicides are used.
Hopefully this is the beginning of a new era in tomato growing – healthier and greener.
July 29th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Nice to see Canada taking some initiative in this area.
Sounds very efficient.