2 ms·
Slightly off topic, but I saw this video [0] about a retired postal worker in Nebraska who grows citrus fruit in an ingeniously designed greenhouse heated with
by julienchastang 4y ago
Slightly off topic, but I saw this video [0] about a retired postal worker in Nebraska who grows citrus fruit in an ingeniously designed greenhouse heated with geothermal. (Not magma geothermal, but earth tubes geothermal that treats the ground as an infinite thermodynamic reservoir. Works in the same way as a refrigerator.) Can anyone here comment on if this could be done at scale? Could the economics be feasible?
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD_3_gsgsnk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD_3_gsgsnk
- Topgamer7 4y agoI recall that video. I wonder how the math compares of their costs during the summer, vs the cost of transportation.
- smileysteve 4y agoSure, you need to avoid frost in the greenhouse; which there is an insulation factor from the walls and glass; and that's only 37 degree f; a lot less than human habitable spaces. Does it scale? Profitably, no, because transportation of oranges from California and Florida to Nebraska is currently quick and cheap.
- julienchastang 4y agoThe issue of temperature control is covered extensively in the video as are some economic concerns (he sells oranges at NE farmer's markets!). What I wonder is if this could be a viable business. Land and possibly water could be cheap in that part of the country. Energy costs are negligible due to the design. Of course, there would have to be a big upfront capital expenditure and some time to get something like this going.
- cmonagle 4y agoI think this has come up on HN before, but Low Tech Magazine has a great piece about citrus production in the Soviet Union: https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2020/04/fruit-trenches-cultivating-subtropical-plants-in-freezing-temperatures.html https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2020/04/fruit-trenches-cul...