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The use of electricity increases and that of oil decreases in greenhouse production

News 15.3.2022
Greenhouses lit up. Photo: Eetu Ahanen / Luke.

Last year, the total energy consumption of greenhouse enterprises was 1,706 gigawatt hours (GWh), increasing comparing to 2017, the previous statistical year (+102 GWh). Electricity consumption increased by 3% to 619 GWh. Renewable energy accounted for 56% of total energy used in heating.

No major changes have taken place in greenhouse production volumes, even though the greenhouse area has slightly decreased from 2017, the previous year when the energy statistics were compiled. However, the price of energy and environmental issues have radically changed how Finnish greenhouses are heated. Lighting is required in the production of vegetables in the winter, and other production technologies have also increased the consumption of electricity.

“In 2006, oil was still the most important source of heating energy for greenhouses. In 2021, renewable energy accounted for up to 56%, or 611 GWh, of total heating energy. The combustion of peat, regarded as non-renewable energy, has also decreased,” says Anna-Kaisa Jaakkonen, senior statistician at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).

Greenhouses heated using renewable energy

Greenhouses are largely heated using renewable wood- and field-based fuels. Forest chips are the most commonly used solid fuel, while field-based fuels include various products made from grain hulls or sorting waste.

More and more greenhouse enterprises are buying their heat from heating service providers. In 2021, farmers were asked for the first time to estimate how the heat they purchased was generated. According to the responses, 50% of all heat sources were renewable, 25% oil-based, and the rest other like peat.

The heating system and the price of fuels are key issues

Most horticultural enterprises heat their greenhouses using many different types of fuels. Various wood-, field- and peat-based fuels can be combusted in solid fuel boilers, depending on the availability and price of fuels. Many horticultural enterprises use oil as an additional heat source during extreme cold and as a backup source. Light fuel oil is still being used especially by horticultural enterprises whose heating period is short. These include summer flower growers. The opportunity to switch the source of heating energy according to the price adds flexibility, while the modernisation of the entire heating system is an expensive investment.

“So far, enterprises that signed their energy agreements when prices were lower have best survived the recent turbulence in the energy market. However, these agreements will also end eventually. The greatest profitability challenges are related to the winter production of vegetables, lighting and the price of electricity. These have already been reflected in higher prices for greenhouse vegetables. Some farmers are seriously considering the profitability of winter production,” Jaakkonen says.

Background to the statistics

Data about energy consumption by greenhouses was collected in conjunction with the collection of data for horticultural statistics from those greenhouse enterprises whose heated greenhouse area was at least 1,000 square metres. Data about energy consumption is collected approximately every three years.

Statistical publication

See statistics data related to the news in the statistical publication.