17/08

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You say tomato

So far we’ve come across geo-thermal energy being harnessed to generate electricity, bake bread, make cinder blocks, de-ice pavements and heat water for swimming pools.

As we drove east of Reykjavik, we came across yet another example of the earth’s natural energy being used creatively by the Icelanders – rows and rows of greenhouses growing mushrooms, grapes, tomatoes and even roses – all glowing eerie amber in the night.

We stopped off at a greenhouse in Hveragerdi to meet Ghoruin, the tomato farmer and his family:

His wife’s grandparents started this farm and remarkably, even back then they used geo-thermal energy to grow their tomatoes.

A geo-thermal greenhouse looks pretty much like a normal greenhouse but it contains a series of pipes, running near the plants themselves, each containing hot water that comes out of the earth at a nearby borehole, in abundant supply.

These pipes mean that Ghoruin is essentially able to grow Mediterranean vegetables three months a year in a mostly cold, dark country, and earn a living.

Just as we were leaving we noticed something that will make some of our Land Rover fans smile – Ghoruin was the proud owner of a lovely 1962 Land Rover, which was still his main workhorse today.