geothermy
Geothermal project Trias Westland ready for first drilling
The delivery and construction of the drilling tower for the Trias Westland geothermal project has been completed. The parts of the KCA Deutag drilling tower arrived at the construction site on Lange Broekweg in Naaldwijk in containers brought here over the course of the past few weeks on exceptional transports. The first hole will be drilled on Monday, 6 November.
The KCA Deutag rig is a complex piece of equipment, measuring approximately 52 metres in height and capable of lifting an auger rod weighing approximately 350 tons. With a capacity of 1500 HP, the rig can reach a depth of up to 5,000 metres.
Drilling tower
Last week, the 43-metre-high mast of the drilling tower arrived at Lange Broekweg in Naaldwijk, thus enabling the tower to reach its highest point yet, at 52 metres above ground. The drilling tower, supplied by the KCA Deutag drilling and engineering firm, had been used in the gas and oil industry before and was shipped from Turkey to the Netherlands.
Start of the drilling
On Friday, 3 November the chisel will be ‘blessed’, and on Monday, 6 November the first hole will be drilled. The conductors, 125 metres in depth, were installed last June. The first well test is expected to take place in January 2018. Director Marco van Soerland: ‘Six years after signing the letter of intent, we can finally start drilling. This is a special day for all the growers involved, HVC, Capturam, Royal FloraHolland, the municipality and the project team. Of course, we are all looking forward to the well test in January. No matter what the outcome: through this project we are making giant strides in energy transition in the province of Zuid-Holland, due to the knowledge we are acquiring about heat in the deep layers of the earth and by launching such an exceptional geothermal project.’
In four sections to a depth of 4,560 metres
On Monday, the first hole will be drilled, also referred to as ‘spud’ in the oil and gas industry. This is a 125-metre hole located precisely where the protective layer for the water-bearing layers was installed last June. After this relatively shallow hole has been drilled, the first section of the deep drill will follow. During the next 7 to 9 days to come, a hole 1,298 metres deep and with a diameter of approximately 60 centimetres will be drilled. During this process it is essential that the drill grit is brought to the surface. A sample will be taken every 10 m of the mud and grit that is extracted by the drill, as this will inform the drilling crew of which layer of the earth and at what depth the drill bit is situated. Once the full depth of Section 1 has been reached, the pipe is inserted and cement is pressed between the borehole and the pipe to reinforce the hole. Section 1 will be completed after approximately 2 weeks. The next step is Section 2, with a diameter of about 43 centimetres and a depth of up to 2,559 metres. Section 3 is a borehole with a diameter of about 30 centimetres and that will go down as far as 4,204 metres. Section 4 drills through to the Trias layer, at a depth of 4,560 metres. This last hole is not cemented in connection with the heat that will be extracted.
Trias Westland
The Trias Westland test well is a unique geothermal project. Never before has drilling taken place to a depth of 4 km with a view to extracting geothermal heat in the Netherlands. Trias Westland B.V was founded by Royal FloraHolland, HVC and Capturam to investigate the extraction of geothermal heat for economic purposes at this depth. The goal is to find out if extracting geothermal heat is economically viable at a depth of 4 km, with a view to making this heat available to greenhouse horticulture companies in the Westland region.
Source: Trias Westland. Photos: Mario Bentvelsen.
Related
Belgian greenhouse horticulturists study Dutch geothermal wells
A delegation from a greenhouse horticulture community in the Belgian city of Kempen and representatives several government agencies visited a geothermal well and a cluster of horticulture firms in the Dutch province of IJsselmuiden. The Belgian representatives examined the feasibility of this source of energy in their own country.
Greenhouse horticulture is an important economic sector not only in the municipalities of Hoogstraten, Rijkevorsel and Merksplas, but also in the province of Antwerp, and one in which sustainability will remain a key issue in the next few years to come. A shared interest in sustainability is one of the reasons why these municipalities, together with the Flemish government, the Province of Limburg and various industry associations are looking into alternative sources of energy for heating their greenhouses. In the Dutch municipality of IJsselmuiden, located in the ‘Koekoekspolder’ greenhouse horticulture area, a deep geothermal well provides five greenhouse horticulturists with geothermal heat. The geothermal heat is extracted at a depth of approximately 1900 metres.
Great enthusiasm
Everyone present was given extensive information about the project. Aside from the technical aspects, which could also be applied to projects in Antwerp, several other critical success factors were extensively discussed. These included the risks associated with the realisation of the project, the complex financing issues and the current price of natural gas.
The Flemish delegation was informed that the project owes its success to the outstanding collaboration between the various stakeholders, the execution of a long-term vision on sustainable energy and the perseverance exhibited by the horticulturists and the project leader. The visit was received with great enthusiasm from the Flemish guests. They are all assured that they will be able to realise similar projects through collaborative efforts within the greenhouse horticulture industry in the province of Antwerp.
Economic importance
‘Not only is greenhouse horticulture of tremendous economic importance to the province of Antwerp, sustainability is also a key priority on our agenda,’ says Ludwig Caluwé, the Provincial Executive member for economic affairs. He joined the delegation of greenhouse horticulture municipalities on their visit to the geothermal well site, which enabled them to gain a clear insight into how sustainability and greenhouse horticulture can be aligned. Greenhouse horticulture and geothermal energy can support one another through the realisation of an energy cluster in a greenhouse horticulture area.
Source: press release. Photo: koekoekspolder.nl
‘We want to be entirely fossil fuel-neutral; and that extends to our electricity consumption as well.’
In part 2 of this interview, tomato grower Ted Duijvestijn speaks about how he aims to operate his business without any need for fossil fuels, reduce environmental pollution caused by packaging waste and grow even healthier tomatoes using LED lighting.
Would combining a CHP unit with geothermal heat be viable?
‘We only use them as a back-up for geothermal heat. Our tomatoes aren’t grown with assimilation lighting, so we don’t need the CHP units for that. We do have one CHP unit that’s constantly in operation. It runs on gas from the heat well. The water from the geothermal well apparently contained methane gas. An old 0.9 kWh CHP unit was used to assess the possibility of using this by-product. As soon as it became apparent that we could, we bought a new CHP unit with a little more capacity that could be run at full capacity on the by-product. With this CHP unit in addition to the geothermal heat we have exactly as much energy as we need. We can independently provide in 100% of our energy need.’
Do you really need that back-up?
‘The geothermal heat well initially met all our expectations, but we experienced a problem in March 2015 when the pump got disconnected. It was anticipated that this pump was located 400 meters below the surface and we had to “fishing” for it. We were able to retrieve the motor, but the pump had sunk to a depth of 2,400 metres. We tried to get it our using a cable with a grapnel. After fourteen attempts we decided to give it one last try and were successful.
‘That’s the problem with new technology; you simply don’t have everything fully under control. Initially everything was running smoothly, with a flow rate of 90 up to 185m3/hr. After some time, the return water was no longer absorbed as easily into the ground; the rate dropped to 60m3/hr. We then discovered that it contained gas. The deeper you get, the warmer the gas becomes and it expands, which makes pumping more and more difficult. We then halted operations. Some relief was brought by a separator, which is now being used to retrieve the gas from the supply pipe that fuels the CHP unit. All of this caused us quite a headache. We had to adjust the process three times before it finally worked properly.’
Were you taking too big a risk when you switched to geothermal energy?
‘Innovation is always paired with risks. You could just as easily say: “I prefer not to take that risk”, but that only leads to stagnation. Fortunately, the government can lend a helping hand by supporting, stimulating and acting as a safety net. Ultimately, all the risks such a business case entails are covered sufficiently. It is very important that innovative projects are backed by the government, because they serve a higher purpose, after all. The entire sector can benefit from the know-how thus gained. Besides that, you can use geothermal energy for a multitude of purposes. Look at our oven-dried tomatoes, for example.’
What else can you do with geothermal energy?
‘Numerous conventional uses come to mind: supplying energy to third parties, such as nearby residences. What will the distribution of geothermal energy be like five, or even ten years from now? The real estate market is continually evolving. It is becoming energy neutral, and as a result discussions are taking a completely new turn. If you enter the market for residential energy supply, you may notice that the situation has changed entirely within the space of five or ten years. You have to calculate that into your plan, too.’
Your geothermal energy project got a lot of attention.
‘That was unprecedented. The first year alone drew over 4,000 visitors from all wakes of life: from ministers to students and from colleagues to interested parties from numerous branches of industry, all with a common interest: sustainable cultivation. From this, you notice that sustainability is becoming increasingly important. These visitors are very important to our firm. The discussions you have with them often lead to unexpected and new insights. They ask smart questions, which forces you to come up with smart answers!’
You are participating in a project for wind turbines. Why? You’re already growing tomatoes on an energy-neutral basis.
‘We aim to become even more sustainable. We want to be entirely fossil fuel-neutral; and that extends to our electricity consumption. We brainstormed on this topic, too: how can this be achieved? We came to the conclusion that you should investigate wind energy, specifically. We learned about a wind turbine initiative in the direct vicinity and decided to participate. This project met with some resistance, so the outcome is still rather uncertain.’
Duijvestijn Tomaten also collaborated on a project that makes cardboard packaging from waste foliage, joining forces with other growers as well as the Smurfit Kappa cardboard factory and the Van Vliet waste treatment company.
Why make packaging from your own waste foliage?
‘It creates residual value. We recently designed packaging to our innovative “Silky Pink” cocktail tomatoes, in collaboration with Rijk Zwaan and The Greenery. I always consider waste a thorn in my side. I like to prevent waste, and so we hit upon the idea of a box made from waste foliage. Nevertheless, the challenges you meet with are becoming more and more complex. You need a different perspective and a different approach. And you need to look at things from a different angle: not from an economical point of view, but by thinking about sustainability. You are doing something society believes in: the bio-based economy, sustainability. These are demands you can respond to wholeheartedly.’
To you, sustainability is not simply a catchword.
‘Absolutely not. There is nothing I hate more than wasting food. You have put everything you have into your product: time, energy, labour, nutrients, attention, love - and that’s being thrown away as if it were nothing! I therefore wholeheartedly support the “Kromkommer” Project (ed. Kromkommer is a contraction of ‘crooked’ and ‘cucumber’), in which odd-looking vegetables and fruit are put to use instead of thrown away. Why throw them away? There’s nothing wrong with them. Supermarkets only want perfect products, and that’s only becoming worse. Many products are therefore not suited for sale to supermarkets, while consumers actually couldn’t care less how straight or crooked their cucumbers actually are.
Do you derive inspiration from this for your own firm?
‘Kromkommer is endeavouring to create a more honest chain to alleviate strain on the environment. From the same perspective we also develop products, test them and assess their market potential. Consider our oven-dried tomatoes. You could fill a container of these only halfway, fill the rest with oil, and offer it at a cheaper price. That puts you in a more competitive position, but we’re convinced that this approach is not viable in the long run. Our preferred target audience is composed of conscious consumers. This group may not be large now, but it is growing. Even senior citizens are becoming more quality-conscious and can afford luxury products. And health freaks may be willing to pay a good price for a good product, but the information you present alongside your products has to appeal to them.’
Is this why you produce extra healthy tomatoes?
‘We are investigating this. Wageningen University Research Centre discovered that LED lighting on sprouting tomato bunches produces fruit with a higher vitamin content. We are now trying this out in the ID Greenhouse®. We are testing the effect of LED lighting on the fruit and expect this to bring us even farther in the future. We have also launched a photosynthesis study among LEDs with a view to further optimising our production. However, if all you are taking into consideration is the cost price, this won’t bring you a step further.’
You regularly mention Wageningen University Research Centre.
‘We have a joint venture with the research centre and with various schools. Many of our visitors are students. I like that fact that they don’t pass instantaneous judgement; they never say: “that’s impossible”. An attitude like that allows you to transcend borders. If you promote that, you will go far. You can build on that. And it’s good training for them. Training and education are becoming increasingly important.’
Can you, as a business, keep abreast of all the new developments?
‘Developments come and go at a rapid pace. This puts a lot of pressure on you. However, you can never keep up with all the developments. You simply have to let go. You shouldn’t let this take the upper hand. You may think you can take control of all the developments, but if you’re not careful they will be taking control of you. The dividing line is very thin: innovation is fun, but it brings a lot of risks with it. On the other hand: if you don’t jump aboard the bandwagon, you won’t be able to travel far.’
Duijvestijn Tomaten in Pijnacker was elected ‘the world’s best tomato grower’ in the Crop & Process Technology category in 2015 by a jury who also presented the accompanying Tomato Inspiration Award. The jury was composed of experts Gene Giacomelli (University of Arizona, USA), Ep Heuvelink (Wageningen University, the Netherlands), Stefanie de Pascale (University of Naples, Italy) and Tadahisa Higashide (NARO Institute, Japan). Duijvestijn Tomaten grows 14.5 hectares of primarily round and plum tomatoes. Besides these tomatoes, they also grow Silky Pink, an exclusive new variety of pink tomato with an exceptionally fruity flavour.
Visit the website of Duijvestijn Tomaten-Nursery.
Download the complete interview with Ted Duijvestijn on innovative projects such as geothermal energy, the ID Greenhouse®, CHP units, LEDs, geothermal energy-dried tomatoes and packaging made from waste foliage (login required).
Copy/photo: Tuinbouwteksten.nl/Theo Brakeboer.
‘The focus points of our brainstorming sessions are sustainability, sustainability and sustainability.’
Duijvestijn Tomaten in Pijnacker was elected ‘world’s best tomato grower’ in the Crop & Process Technology category in 2015. Ted Duijvestijn explains the innovative projects his firm is currently working on and what prompted their development. An interview with a passionate entrepreneur.
We are speaking to Ted Duijvestijn in his company’s Innovation Center.
Why do you have an Innovation Center?
‘When we switched from natural gas to geothermal heat we got a lot of interested visitors. And when we built the ID Greenhouse® in 2013, we realised that we needed a solution to be able to continue receiving visitors on this scale. This gave birth to the idea of the Innovation Center, with a big reception area and a balcony with a view over the entire ID Greenhouse®.
‘We attach great value to hygiene and safety. We can now receive visitors and show them what we do without any concessions to either hygiene or safety. Apart from that, we can now receive our customers in a pleasant environment while our day-to-day operations can be carried out without any disturbance.’
What prompted you to choose that name?
‘Our firm has grown step-by-step to 14.5 hectares. After the last expansion we asked ourselves: “How shall we continue: will we try to cut as many costs as possible or are there other opportunities for growth?” We decided that our greatest affinity lay in the field of innovation and that this is precisely where new opportunities can be found. This is our Innovation Center. We regularly hold brainstorming sessions here. This is where we discuss how to respond to changes and what is really important to us. These discussions have generated several innovative projects, such as the ID Greenhouse®. The focus points of our brainstorming sessions are sustainability, sustainability and sustainability. And of course, we always ask ourselves when we come up with a new idea: is it commercially viable, what will it bring us?’
Did you decide to switch to geothermal heat because it is sustainable?
‘Sustainability was a key issue when we made this choice, but our investment had to be profitable, too. We made the switch in 2011. This summer we even had a heat surplus on account of the warm weather. Due to the EHEC crisis we also had a tomatoes surplus, so we came up with the idea of producing oven-dried tomatoes. This is responding to long-term developments and seeing if you obtain a position in a new market. Of course, there is also the financial aspect to consider: can you get funding and develop more know-how? What happens is that you learn new things that take you another step further. We designed a machine dries tomatoes using geothermal heat. We conducted tests on content, taste, temperature, time, varieties - we tested everything we could possibly think of.’
Duijvestijn shows the result with due pride: wedges of dried tomato, in small round containers and in different flavours. The tomatoes were grown on the Duijvestijn premises and are marketed as “Frezta, oven-dried Dutch tomatoes”.’
Isn’t ‘oven-dried’ misleading? They aren’t dried through and through. like most dried tomatoes.
‘They are semi-dried and we add seasoning plus a little oil. You do have to store them in the refrigerator.’
Was it difficult to find distributors?
‘We are still working on it. It is a question of getting distributors interested and gradually building up a market. We can now count several supermarkets, restaurants and delicatessen shops among our customers. In addition to the tomatoes, we also developed a tapenade that market under the name “Tomade”.’
The next innovative product you came up with was the ID Greenhouse®.
‘Looking at new greenhouse systems, we didn’t see many developments that would actually take you a lot further. The frames became higher, that was all. What’s really important is light. Another key topic is energy consumption, even if you have geothermal heat. We wondered how you can combine the two and further optimize your use of energy and hit upon the idea of double glazing. The K factor (thermal conductivity coefficient) of double glazing is twice that of regular single glazing. So we launched a pilot, in collaboration with the Wageningen University Research Centre, based on the VenlowEnergy Greenhouse study that was being conducted at that time. This resulted in the ID Greenhouse®, with a surface area of one hectare. This lets you perform tests on a substantial scale, without being too small to get genuine results.’
How does the ID Greenhouse® distinguish itself from other greenhouses?
‘The ID Greenhouse® has diffuse double glazing with panes measuring 3x2 metres; twice as big as conventional panes. The greenhouse is tilted, so that the rows are at right angles to the cover. We chose this construction because it lets you get as much light as possible to the crop. This construction consolidates the power where it needs to be in the greenhouse. As the screen runs from gutter to gutter, the screen package closes beneath the gutter and barely takes any light away. A tiny grille at the top edge of the ridge vent prevents rain from coming in when the ventilation grid is left slightly open. The exterior has a sloped wall to reinforce the frame. Besides that, you can mount equipment onto it, such as air handling units.’
Does the greenhouse meet your expectations?
‘We chose this greenhouse to grow tomatoes with smallest energy input possible. The first year we used it we received some guidance from Wageningen University Research Centre and were able to achieve energy savings of 60 per cent, by using only low-quality heat. The water from the geothermal well is 75°C. In the standard greenhouse this is cooled to 45°C - depending on the return flow rate - and is then transported to the ID Greenhouse®. The challenge is to cool the water in the ID Greenhouse® down to 25°C, which means that you’re making optimum use of the geothermal energy. After using it in the standard greenhouse you get your heating water practically for free, but in the first year we unfortunately had to make some concessions to quality.’
So the greenhouse isn’t performing satisfactorily?
‘The level of quality rises every year, as is already apparent in the second year. During the first year it is particularly important to ensure that all your equipment is functioning properly. At this stage, it doesn’t pay to spend a lot of time making all sorts minute adjustments to your climate settings in an attempt to take things to the next level. Now that we’re in the second year we aim to achieve savings of 50 per cent, in combination with a higher production at the right level of quality. In first year we achieved our goal of 50 per cent, but not the production level we were after. The biggest problem was related to light loss on account of condensed moisture on the glass. Both the interior and exterior glazing had been provided with an HR coating to prevent light reflection, because you want to get the same amount of light inside the greenhouse that you would with conventional glazing. This coating creates tiny pyramids on the glass, as it were, onto which droplets of condensed moisture cling. We have since removed the coating on the inside. Now the moisture can flow away more easily. A small percentage of light is still lost in comparison to single glazing, but compared to last year we have gained 5 per cent more light.’
So the greenhouse is performing satisfactorily after all?
‘It’s too early to really say anything about it. We aim to compensate for the loss of light through the frame. You can come up with the best ideas on the drawing board, but you never know how well something is going to work until you’ve put it into practice. Only then can a product be truly tested and will you learn more. The CO2 supply - from Ocap - was adjusted in this second year, for example. It failed to produce the correct values from time to time. Instead of the extension of the CO2 supply in the other greenhouses we managed to put together provisionally there is now a direct supply.
‘We achieved the envisioned energy savings, and now we’re working on raising our production level, step by step. After only one year you can’t rightly draw any conclusions; only after about three years can you truly say anything. In the meantime you identify the challenges, look for improvements and learn from your experiences.’
Is such a small ridge vent enough to meet for ventilation needs?
‘The air vents in the greenhouse had been fitted with mesh. As a result, insects could not enter the greenhouse, which means that we can achieve an even lower maximum residue level in our tomatoes. You could then get even more out of using natural enemies. However, the fine mesh obstructed the flow of air; particularly on days with little wind and warm, humid air. Weather conditions like that put a lot of stress on the plants. We therefore abandoned that idea, since stress has a negative impact on quality and production. Now that the mesh has been removed we are able to control the climate, in combination with the AHUs, more accurately.’
Do you expect more greenhouses to be built with double-glazing on the roof?
‘Taking into account the energy savings, our expectations are high. Economically speaking, however, there is still a way to go. Double glazing is still rather expensive.’
Duijvestijn Tomaten in Pijnacker was elected ‘the world’s best tomato grower’ in the Crop & Process Technology category in 2015 by a jury who also presented the accompanying Tomato Inspiration Award. The jury was composed of experts Gene Giacomelli (University of Arizona, USA), Ep Heuvelink (Wageningen University, the Netherlands), Stefanie de Pascale (University of Naples, Italy) and Tadahisa Higashide (NARO Institute, Japan). Duijvestijn Tomaten grows 14.5 hectares of primarily round and plum tomatoes. Besides these tomatoes, they also grow Silky Pink, an exclusive new variety of pink tomato with an exceptionally fruity flavour.
Visit the website Duijvestijn Tomaten.
Would you like to know more? Download the complete interview with Ted Duijvestijn on innovative projects such as geothermal energy, the ID Greenhouse®, CHP units, LEDs, geothermal energy-dried tomatoes and packaging made from waste foliage (login required).
Copy/photo: Tuinbouwteksten.nl/Theo Brakeboer.