Netherlands: Phalaenopsis grower Floricultura starts drilling for geothermal energy

Phalaenopsis grower Floricultura has begun drilling for geothermal energy at the Cieweg location, in the horticultural region Heemskerkerduin, The Netherlands. The orchids are grown in the greenhouse complex of 7 hectares at a temperature of 28 ºC year round. The current consumption of the boiler and TE is four million m3 per year.

For the new installation Van Zaal designs and assembles the complete above ground installation. That is to say, the pipes, a de-gasser, gas dryer, torch, rude and fine filter, heat exchangers, an injection pump for the cooled water and a heat storage tank of 3.000 m3 to buffer the heated water.

The 30 meter high rig of drilling company Daldrup AG is well visible and because of any possibly noise from the otherwise silent tower a special wall has been build around the site. The drilling for hot water is directed at the so-called Slochterenlaag at a depth of approximately 2700-2900 meters. Geothermal energy comes from the core of the earth and flows into the crust. The temperature of the core is 2.000 to 10.000 degrees Celsius. As the earth's crust is approached, the temperature gets lower. At Floricultura it is expected that they will soon get water of 90 ºC and that is an ideal temperature for greenhouse heating. If the test phase is successful Floricultura can switch this fall to geothermal energy.

Martien Klein, van Zaals project manager at Floricultura mentions the advantages of this form of energy production once more: reliable, easy to combine with other sources of energy, reducing CO2 emissions, saving gas, sustainable and environmentally friendly.

For more information:
Van Zaal Techniek
[email protected]
www.vanzaal.com