Friðheimar was an experience that allowed me to understand aspects of sustainable agriculture that I’ve never witnessed before. Sustainable agriculture was something I’ve never really thought about or paid attention to, but the methods from the greenhouse today changed my perspective on everything.
For starters, the difficulty of receiving a constant flow of water was something that intrigued me. In Iceland, geothermal energy is a major form of energy and there are many hot springs around that provide this energy for different places. The irrigation and piping system that they had rigged up seemed very complex but clearly was thought out for a long time beforehand. To save time and energy, every piece of equipment is controlled by a singular computer system which allows the greenhouse to operate efficiently and effectively.
Along with this, natural light was a very interesting topic to learn about. The greenhouse was filled with all artificial lighting, but there were windows to outside as well because natural sunlight is important for growth. The only issue with this is that Iceland gets only 4 hours of sunlight in the harsh winter, so an alternative method of lighting is crucial to proper operation. These artificial lights must be controlled to be on and off at certain times due to the bees that are used for pollination being heavily attracted to light. Due to this, if the only lights on are the artificial lights, the bees will go to them and most likely die from the heat.
I have seen greenhouses in mild climates, but this was the first one I have ever seen in a harsh climate like Iceland. It was truly inspiring to see how in such a difficult climate to have good agriculture in how the civilization was able to adapt and create incredible crops and agricultural system. The work ethic as well as the adaptability of the entire country of Iceland has been on full display this entire trip.
Swanson School of Engineering 