The first peppers in Germany grown with geothermal heat were harvested on the 7th of May, reports the German website Gabot.de. Vegetable producer 'Gemüsebau Steiner GmbH & Co. KG' heats his greenhouses with geothermal heat from the local project in Kirchweidach (Bayern). This saves him 4.2 litres of oil fuel and 8.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
"Geothermal heat provides heat, electricity and even ventilation around the clock. In Kirckweidach this advantage is now being used in the vegetables cultivation," says dr Erwin Knapek, president of the economic forum Geothermie e.V. (WFG). Gemüsebau Steiner GmbH & Co. KG has built a twelve hectare greenhouse in Kirchweidach, which is provided with geothermal heat. In total, around 360 kilometres of heating pipes were laid, to keep the temperature in the greenhouse constantly between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius. Ideal conditions to grow tomatoes from the region, for the region.
"Protecting the environment and economics are hand in hand here. Our WFG member 'Geoenergie Kirchweidach GmbH' has been making renewable heat from geothermals available since December 2013, and almost 100 new jobs were created in Kirchweidach," says Knapek. At the moment water with a temperature of around 125 degrees is drawn from 3,800 metres underground at the geothermal project at Kirchweidach. This can not only heat Steiner GmbH's greenhouse, but also the entire municipality of Kirckweidach.
