Greenhouse going 'green': Site to be powered by renewable energy
February 1, 2008
KALAMAZOO -- A local greenhouse powered by renewable energy -- said to be the first of its kind in the Midwest -- soon will be
the latest testament to Mark Bauer's principle that renewable energy works.
A greenhouse under construction on East Milham Avenue for Elzinga and Hoeksema Greenhouses will have the largest solar panel
and geothermal heating system in the Midwest, says Bauer, whose Wayland company is building the facility's heating system.
Bauer highlighted the greenhouse during a presentation to about two dozen students and community members at a ''Sustainable
Energy Options for Combating Global Warming'' program Thursday at the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center. It was among
several local programs connected to a national Focus the Nation initiative expected to include more than 1,500 group discussions
around the country addressing global warming.
Bauer said current processes of converting coal to electricity have inherent inefficiencies that can result in a loss of 40 percent
to 60 percent of the total electricity generated. By contrast, 90 percent of power generated through solar panels can be used,
he said.
Instead of having overhead lamps and fans blowing heat downward like in most greenhouses, the new Elzinga and Hoeksema
facility will have heated tubes underneath the plant beds, Bauer said. More of the rising heat will reach the plants than in most
greenhouses, he said.
The greenhouse, which will include 10 acres of organic vegetables, is expected to open in March.
Bauer, whose business works with both solar- and wind-powered energy, installed a wind turbine on Western Michigan
University's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences campus off U.S. 131 and Parkview Avenue last year. The turbine, which is
45 feet tall, cost more than $10,000 and was funded by WMU professor John Patten.
Bauer's Thursday presentation, part of a Focus the Nation partnership involving WMU, Kalamazoo College and KAMSC, came on the
heels of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's announcement of an energy package that she said could prompt utility companies to invest up
to $6 billion in alternative-energy projects in Michigan. Granholm made alternative energy a major focus in her State of the State
address Tuesday.
"There are states all around us that are harnessing the wind energy,'' Bauer said, noting that Michigan has very few wind-energy
systems despite being ranked as the 14th windiest state in the continental United States.
This article came from the Kalamazoo Gazette's Michigan Environmental Issues News section.
February 1, 2008
KALAMAZOO -- A local greenhouse powered by renewable energy -- said to be the first of its kind in the Midwest -- soon will be
the latest testament to Mark Bauer's principle that renewable energy works.
A greenhouse under construction on East Milham Avenue for Elzinga and Hoeksema Greenhouses will have the largest solar panel
and geothermal heating system in the Midwest, says Bauer, whose Wayland company is building the facility's heating system.
Bauer highlighted the greenhouse during a presentation to about two dozen students and community members at a ''Sustainable
Energy Options for Combating Global Warming'' program Thursday at the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center. It was among
several local programs connected to a national Focus the Nation initiative expected to include more than 1,500 group discussions
around the country addressing global warming.
Bauer said current processes of converting coal to electricity have inherent inefficiencies that can result in a loss of 40 percent
to 60 percent of the total electricity generated. By contrast, 90 percent of power generated through solar panels can be used,
he said.
Instead of having overhead lamps and fans blowing heat downward like in most greenhouses, the new Elzinga and Hoeksema
facility will have heated tubes underneath the plant beds, Bauer said. More of the rising heat will reach the plants than in most
greenhouses, he said.
The greenhouse, which will include 10 acres of organic vegetables, is expected to open in March.
Bauer, whose business works with both solar- and wind-powered energy, installed a wind turbine on Western Michigan
University's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences campus off U.S. 131 and Parkview Avenue last year. The turbine, which is
45 feet tall, cost more than $10,000 and was funded by WMU professor John Patten.
Bauer's Thursday presentation, part of a Focus the Nation partnership involving WMU, Kalamazoo College and KAMSC, came on the
heels of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's announcement of an energy package that she said could prompt utility companies to invest up
to $6 billion in alternative-energy projects in Michigan. Granholm made alternative energy a major focus in her State of the State
address Tuesday.
"There are states all around us that are harnessing the wind energy,'' Bauer said, noting that Michigan has very few wind-energy
systems despite being ranked as the 14th windiest state in the continental United States.
This article came from the Kalamazoo Gazette's Michigan Environmental Issues News section.
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