Center for Innovation and Applied Technology
Iceland Study Abroad
Geothermal Garden
Thermoelectric Generators
Geothermal Sculpture
Geothermal Garden​
Since 2009 Professor Robert Dell has been developing a geothermal heated garden capable of growing plants in extreme environments. After ten years of research our task was to create a production garden capable of producing turnips for a small shop in Reykjavik, and to prove sustainable farming could be achieved using waste heat energy and without the use of a greenhouse.
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This garden is the first of its kind, and is home to the only living oak tree in Iceland.
The garden is split into two groups, heated and unheated beds. Growth was tracked over two months and it was found that plants in the heated garden beds grew 44% more than their unheated counterparts, the highest growth rate yet.
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We also built a four-layer composite fence this year to protect the crops from pests and extreme weather. It is composed of sheep fencing, chicken wire, metallic wire fencing, and stainless steel mesh.