Geothermal greenhouse heating and electricity in Bad Blumau
Overview
The region of Styria in the south of Austria is traditionally an area for growing fruits and vegetables. It is also a region with a great geothermal potential. The Frutura Group has combined these two regional characteristics and in 2016, started the operation of geothermally heated greenhouses to locally produce of fruits and vegetables all year round. The brand is well known in the region and according to a survey, produces the best-tasting tomatoes in Austria.
The first thermal greenhouse in Bad Blumau was constructed by Frutura in 2016. First to produce organic fruit and later also conventional vegetables like tomatoes and peppers. In 2020, the geothermal greenhouses have been extended.
Geothermal heating system
Thermal water with a temperature of 125°C is pumped to the surface from a depth of 3.5 kilometers and heats 26 hectares of greenhouses so that regional vegetables can be grown all year round without having to use any additional heating source. After cooling down, the water is reinjected underground. Compared to fossil fuel heating, 28,000 tons of CO2 are saved per year tanks to geothermal. This is equivalent to the average annual electricity consumption of 20,500 Austrian households. Up to 9,000 tons of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, melanzani and radishes are grown in the geothermal greenhouses in a year.
Making sure that even in the winter months fruits and vegetables are available in supermarkets cause great transport costs and emissions. These are avoided by growing fresh products regionally in geothermal greenhouses throughout the whole year. Thanks to Frutura, each year between October and March, 1 Million kilometers of transport per truck can be avoided.
“The result of our carbon footprint calculation for Frutura is very convincing. The emissions caused are significantly lower than for comparable plants and products. This project is a role model: regionally available renewable energy sources are used and the use of fossil fuels is largely avoided. It is precisely solutions like this that will be needed much more in the future.”
Electricity generation
To further increase efficiency, the geothermal heating system was complemented with a module for producing clean electricity from the excess heat from the greenhouses. The module by Orcan Energy was commissioned in March 2024 and is expected to produce 625 MWh electricity per year.
Thermal vegetable greenhouses in Bad Blumau completed in 2019.
Summary
Technology: Open loop
Commissioning: 2016
CO2 savings: 28,000 t CO2 per year
Well depth: 3.5km
Temperature: 125°C
Heated surface: 26 hectares greenhouses
Electricity production since 2024: 625 MWh per year