Geothermal steam from deep below the ground in Iceland is being used to warm houses, offices, and even greenhouses to grow vegetables, including cucumbers at Laugaland farm in Varmaland, situated in the north of the island nation.
Most residents of Iceland have known the value of geothermal for generations and partake in daily soaks or baths at public pools where the water is heated naturally. Much of the island features relatively minor volcanic and earthquake activity, which creates the geologic conditions to warm water underground that then finds its way to springs and geysers.
At the Laugaland farm, guests at a nearby hotel will often see the farm's greenhouses glowing on frigid nights as mist and fog dances about eerily. The lights stay on beyond sunset in winter to give the cucumbers enough daily growing time, according to hotel staff.
Iceland has to import nearly all its fruits and vegetables, so the greenhouses in Varmaland are a welcome addition. A nearby resident said the cucumbers can even be exported to nearby Nordic countries, along with other vegetables and flowers. Some hotel guests are concerned the greenhouse lights will prevent them from seeing the northern lights in the sky, but the greenhouse turns them off after 10 or so in time for the northern lights, a hotel employee told reporters visiting the area.
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