Iceland uses geothermal heat and data-centre waste heat to grow food indoors
Icelandic growers are using geothermal electricity and waste heat from data centres to farm strawberries, greens and microalgae indoors, though most fresh produce is still imported.
How it was covered
- BBC News was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on geothermal-powered indoor farming, data-centre heat and microalgae production.
- Channel 5, BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
BBC News reported from Keflavik that Iceland is using its abundance of geothermal heat, water and clean electricity to grow food indoors despite limited farmland and a location just below the Arctic Circle. In one underground growing room, more than 5,000 Japanese strawberry plants are cultivated under controlled lights. Ken, who left an IT job two years ago, told BBC News that Iceland is the best place outside Japan to grow the fruit, which is sold online to local buyers and restaurants.
According to BBC News, Iceland now has more than 45 hectares of greenhouses and indoor farms. They produce tomatoes, salads and even wasabi, but most food is still imported.
BBC News reported that a startup is capturing waste heat from data centres and channelling it into food-growing pods converted from shipping containers. The pods were tested at a data centre and then set up in a business park for simulations. The company told BBC News that it can capture heat at around 25C to 27C and hopes to launch commercial pods later this year for microgreens, strawberries, tomatoes and aquaculture. It also said that 80% of Iceland's fresh fruit and vegetables are imported, which creates a carbon footprint and limits variety.
Less than 20 kilometres from a geothermal plant, BBC News reported that Icelandic firm Algalith is cultivating microalgae in reactors of 10,000 litres each. Sensors control light, pH and temperature, and cold outside air helps cool the facility. The algae is fed CO2 and releases oxygen. After the water is removed and the algae dried, the company extracts astaxanthin for dietary supplements. Algalith told BBC News that geothermal power makes the 24-7 process cheaper and more sustainable than it would be elsewhere.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A startup reports that 80% of fresh fruits and vegetables are imported. | |
| Iceland has more than 45 hectares of greenhouses and indoor farms. | |
| Recovered heat is channeled to food-growing pods converted from shipping containers. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News framed Iceland as a test bed for energy-intensive indoor farming, moving from an underground Japanese strawberry farm to data-centre heat pods and microalgae reactors. The tone was cautiously optimistic, stressing that most produce is still imported and that some operations are early-stage or energy-hungry. It did not interview critics or explore costs and scale beyond the companies' claims.
- “I think Iceland is the best place to grow Japanese strawberries apart from Japan.”
- “We connect directly to the exhaust from the data center. The heat is coming through that wall.”
- “You could have abilities in other places, but it'd be much more costly.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.