Energy

US (PA): Seasonal re-opening of PHS Pop Up Gardens
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated seasonal re-opening of the PHS Pop Up Gardens for the 2023 season at Manayunk and South Street! Discover PHS’s tranquil outdoor gardens that feature stunning plants and flowers, as well as a tasty selection of…

VB and Vogelaer sign contract for second geothermal plant
VB Geo Projects was recently contracted to design and realize the geothermal installation works for Vogelaer 2. Vogelaer 2 is an extension of the existing geothermal heat project of Vogelaer, for which a complete above-ground installation will be built. In addition to the geothermal plant, an underground…

"Liquified natural gas represents up to 30% fuel savings for greenhouses"
Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) indicated that in Mexico, during 2021, more than 14 thousand hectares were registered for greenhouses, which represents 31% of the area occupied for protected agriculture nationwide. "This type of agriculture also contributed to…
Increasing energy and heating costs
Germany: Nursery in Neumagen-Dhron defies high energy prices
Rising energy prices are also causing problems for many nurseries. An example from Neumagen-Dhron, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, shows that plant cultivation can nevertheless…

"Grower can even make up for lack of grid capacity with it"
Greenhouse horticulture eyes up salt battery
Perhaps more than ever, growers are looking at the energy situation on their farms. This increasingly includes electricity storage in times of high energy prices. For this, growers already know how to find Durable M.E., a specialist in energy storage and battery systems. Yet Jean-Pierre Gödde was…
“A Bloomin’ Shame”: Campaigners protest “greenwashing” Bloom and Wild for banking with Barclays
On Thursday, March 16, campaigners from the grassroots group Fossil Free London will assemble outside flower company Bloom and Wild's offices in London. They will call on Bloom and Wild to stop banking with Barclays: Europe's largest fossil fuel funder.[1] Since 2015, Barclays has spent $166bn financing dirty…
"The Plants need warmth"
GER: Extreme additional costs for nurseries
Künzell/Ebersburg, East Hesse - In some cases, 300 percent higher heating costs - garden centers in the region are reporting an enormous price increase for heating their…

Dutch renewable energy share rises 20% in 2022
In 2022, The Netherlands produced 20% more electricity from renewable sources than a year earlier. Energy production from fossil sources fell by 11%. Last year, 40% of total electricity production came from renewable sources, up from 33% in 2021. That is according to the Dutch Central Bureau of…

UK horticulture calls on Chancellor for action on energy, water, and trade
The Horticultural Trades Association’s letter to the Chancellor ahead of the Spring Budget sets out clear asks for action on the cost of doing business, water resilience, and trade, as businesses across UK horticulture continue to see soaring costs and face another challenging weather year. The water…

EIB commits to support KenGen’s green energy projects
Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has hosted the Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), Mr. Thomas Östros, at the Olkaria Geothermal Power Plant. The visit showcased the longstanding partnership between KenGen and EIB and explored potential areas of partnership for future…

Dutch Lily Days: overview of developments in lily land
From Tuesday to Friday, June 6 to 9, 2023, the 14 participants in the Dutch Lily Days will throw their doors wide open. Thousands of visitors are expected from near and far to…

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US (NJ): Farmer growing flowers a little greener thanks to grant to convert to geothermal heat
A Brooklyn couple with no agricultural experience outside a few chickens and peas in the garden thought it would be fun to live on a farm. In 2019 they moved to East Windsor with their young daughter Rose and started Moonshot Farm on 9.5 acres. Now, the flower farm is blooming. “We’re growing 40,000…

Michaela Kaniber on the current challenges of growers
Germany: Bavarian Agriculture Minister promotes regional purchasing from growers
Valentine's Day is around the corner, and therefore, Bavarian Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber finds it the best time to promote regional produce. "To give joy, you don't need exotic beauties arriving by plane from Africa. There are already wonderful heartwarming, colorful flowers from regional…

PPG begin East African expansion
Kenya: Nairobi R&D facility to carry out research into arid environment agriculture
This week the Horticultural team at Powerplus Group exhibited at the Africa Agri Expo in Nairobi. Meeting delegates from countries across the region, including the Ministers for Agriculture from South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The team signed an agreement with the Nairobian local government to help…
Valentine's Day in Japan
"Flower Valentine' is becoming a culture in Japan as well"
Valentine's Day in Japan used to be celebrated with chocolate, but nowadays, due to the efforts of the Flowering Japan Council, it is also a flower holiday. Nobu Kaishita of Chrysal Japan Limited explains how it changed over the years, and how 'Flowers Valentine' is now becoming a culture in Japan as…

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US renewable energy farms outstrip 99% of coal plants economically – study
Coal in the US is now being economically outmatched by renewables to such an extent that it’s more expensive for 99% of the country’s coal-fired power plants to keep running than it is to build an entirely new solar or wind energy operation nearby, a new analysis has found. The plummeting cost of…