AVK sustainability report 2023 with links A4 - Flipbook - Page 25
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
TO HEAT HOMES,
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS,
AND GREENHOUSES
With geothermal energy, the hot water, deep
in the ground, is pumped up and converted
into energy. Geothermal energy is a clean and
renewable alternative to natural gas and can be
used to heat homes, commercial buildings, and
greenhouses.
In the Netherlands, several geothermal projects
are underway with drilling to a depth of two or
even three kilometres. At that depth, the water
has a temperature of 70 to 100°C. The deeper
the geothermal drilling is, the hotter the water.
The AVK company Wouter Witzel supplies
rubber-lined butterfly valves to several
companies that specialise in above-ground
geothermal energy installations. Most recently,
Wouter Witzel supplied over 160 butterfly valves
for installation in a new production unit for the
second phase of Hoogweg Paprikakwekerijen’s
geothermal energy activities, where peppers are
grown in greenhouses.
Currently, 70% of the heat needed for
Hoogweg’s 160 hectares of greenhouses is
supplied by geothermal energy. By expanding
the geothermal activities with this new
production unit, Hoogweg comes even closer
to its ambition to be as sustainable and
environmentally friendly as possible.
AVK Sustainability report 2022/2023 | 25
