Swedish greenhouses switch from black to green fuels

New statistics show a different and positive “greenhouse effect” in Sweden. From 2002 to 2014, the energy use in Swedish greenhouses has fundamentally changed:

• The use of energy per square metre was cut in more than half, decreasing by 57 percent, from 371 kWh per square metre in 2002, to 158 kWh in 2014.
• The use of fossil fuels was reduced by 83 percent, and the share of fossil fuels fell from 77 percent to 28 percent.
• The share of biomass increased from 5 percent in 2002 to 48 percent in 2014. Biomass is today the major energy source for Swedish greenhouse heating.

In the tomato greenhouses the fuel switch was even more profound. The use of fossil fuels, heating oil and gas, decreased by 90 percent, and the use of biomass increased almost fivefold. One of Sweden’s largest tomato greenhouses uses waste heat from a pulp factory.

The numbers are from new statistics released by the Swedish Board of Agriculture (Jordbruksverket).

For more information, contact Kjell Andersson, +46 70-4417192.