Greenhouse in Qingyun, China saves on costs and improves harvest with geothermal heating
Greenhouse complex of Shandong Shuifa Group in China (source: Shandong Shuifa Group)
Carlo Cariaga
16 Dec 2025
A greenhouse complex in Shandong Province, China has made the shift from natural gas to geothermal heating, resulting in lower costs and better yield.
A 7.8-hectare smart greenhouse in Qingyun County in Shandong Province, China is now enjoying reduced energy costs and improved crop quality after making a shift from natural gas to geothermal heating. The greenhouse houses over 60,000 tomato plants and has a daily production yield of over 10 tons.
The Shandong Shuifa Aerospace Modern Agricultural Industrial Park previously relied on natural gas, consuming over 1.25 million cubic meters of gas per heating season. This resulted not just in high carbon emissions, but also high annual heating costs of about CNY 5.6 million (approx. USD 794,000).
After some studies and learning about the county’s abundant geothermal resources, the decision was made to drill three production wells and three reinjection wells for geothermal utilization. The goal was to maintain the temperature of the greenhouse at 20 °C, which required a hot water supply of 80 °C. The extracted geothermal water only had a temperature of 50 °C. Thus, the system had to be augmented with a ground source heat pump system.
Zhang Weiheng, a plant protection and horticulture engineer at the Shandong Shuifa Aerospace Modern Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd., explained that the smart greenhouse is equipped with more than 200 sensors to ensure that heating is distributed evenly. When the outdoor temperature hits below 0 °C, the smart temperature control system will simultaneously start the medium and high temperature heat pumps to precisely adjust water temperature and volume. This is essential in ensuring that the temperate and humidity inside the greenhouse is set at optimal values for the growth of fruits and vegetables.
Lu Zhihao, general manager of Shandong Shuifa Aerospace Modern Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd., added that the annual heating costs after transitioning to geothermal is now only CNY 2 million. In just one heating season, the greenhouse complex has realized annual savings of around CNY 3 million (approx. USD 425,700), and reduced carbon emissions by more than 30%.
Moreover, ensuring controllable temperatures in the greenhouse year-round has resulted in an increase in tomato yield and quality. The yield has increased by more than 15%, the tomatoes are able to hit the market earlier, and the rate of spoiled fruit has been significantly reduced.
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Source: Sd.news.cn
