| Title | Adaptive Aquaponics Design for Different Climate Regions with Geothermal Energy Potential |
|---|---|
| Authors | BOEDIJN, A., BAEZA, E., ESPINAL, C., VAN DE VEN, R., THORARINSDOTTIR, R., and TURNSEK, M |
| Year | 2020 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | Fish, vegetables, thermal treatment network, circular food production systems, Geofood |
| Abstract | The ongoing global push for sustainability has motivated both the greenhouse horticulture and aquaculture sectors to explore the potential of geothermal energy for heating as an alternative to fossil fuels. To improve heat use efficiency of geothermal wells these food production systems can be integrated into an aquaponic-based thermal treatment network. Within this network the fish farm utilizes residual heat supplied by the greenhouse and geothermal heat at moments that greenhouse heat demand is low. The EU funded GEOFOOD project aims to analyze in detail how to optimize the design and operation of such aquaponic facilities that use geothermal energy. To that end a predictive model was developed and validated which simulates the heat balances present throughout the thermal treatment network. The model enables the user to compose a sequence of geothermal wells, greenhouses and aquaculture facilities for which different scenarios can be explored by selecting several types of greenhouse, different crops and fish species as well as climates. Three different climate regions with large potential for geothermal energy use for aquaponic production have been selected to perform a scenario study. The newly developed model has been applied to these regions taking into account typical local greenhouse types, while exploring the cultivation of different combinations of crops and fish species. Simulation results include system dimensions such as geothermal well capacity and the ratio between greenhouse- and aquaculture facility size as well as corresponding energy flows. Based on these outputs system performance has been evaluated in order to indicate which aquaponic designs optimize the use of geothermal energy per climate region. Acknowledgements The Geofood project is supported through the ERANET Cofund GEOTHERMICA project (Project no. 731117), from the the European Commission, The Research Council in Iceland (Rannis), Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the Ministry of Infrastructure in Slovenia. The consortium partners include Wageningen University & Research, LandIng Aquaculture, Ammerlaan (Netherlands), University of Iceland, Samraekt (Iceland), University of Maribor and the Municipality of Brezice (Slovenia). |