For many food producers, a greenhouse is the only way to grow many crops that need an extended growing period. Geothermal energy, which takes advantage of the heat stores that lie below the soil surface, is one way to heat greenhouses by using heat pumps to circulate the warmth from underground throughout your greenhouses.
1. Cost Savings
Keeping the greenhouses warm, especially in the colder season, can be quite expensive. Geothermal heating options can allow for year-round growing in greenhouses without the high cost of heating with fossil fuel-derived energy. There is a bit of an upfront cost when it comes to installing a geothermal system and heat pump, but there is a cost for any type of heating system. The bonus with geothermal is that once it is installed, you will begin saving money immediately and will soon recoup any additional investment in the system.
2. Sustainable
Geothermal greenhouse operations don't burn a lot of fossil fuels, which means that this method of heating is quite a bit more sustainable and environmentally friendly compared to other heating methods. Further, geothermal energy is a renewable resource, unlike fossil fuels. Some electricity is needed to power the heat pump that brings up and circulates the heat from underground, but there are solar heat pump options that also depend on renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. This also makes geothermal ideal for off-grid areas of your operation.
3. Minimal Maintenance
There are a lot fewer moving parts for a geothermal heating system compared to standard greenhouse heaters, so the geothermal option is also typically much lower maintenance. Further, there is only the heat pump to worry about instead of multiple units, since the heat pump can also be used to cool the greenhouse in the event it overheats during a warm spell. Not only are geothermal systems low maintenance, they also have a long operating life — the ground systems rarely require replacement, and the heat pump can last for years before it needs replacement.
4. Peace of Mind
If you opt to take the system off-grid with a solar-powered heat pump, then you never need to worry about power outages destroying all the hard work that is growing in your greenhouses. Power outages can be common in rural areas, which can leave you dependent on generators and backup fuel to save everything in the greenhouse. This is less likely to be a concern if you opt for geothermal on off-grid power or off-grid power backup.
For more information, contact geothermal technicians near you.
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