MSU Extension Floriculture & Greenhouse Crop Production

Natural gas and oil are the most common fuels used to heat greenhouses.  However, several other energy sources, including solar, wind, and biofuels, can be used to generate heat and electricity.  Below are articles grouped into several general topics related to alternative fuels for greenhouses.

Alternative Energy Comparisons

• Comparing Heating Fuel Costs by John Bartok Jr., University of Connecticut.  Reprinted from the October 2014 issue of Greenhouse Management.
• Comparing Fuel Costs by John Bartok Jr., University of Connecticut.
• Approximate Heating Value of Common Fuels by John Bartok Jr., University of Connecticut.
• Heating Bill Comparison (for homes, with January 2007 prices) by Chris Schilling, Saginaw Valley State University.
• Fuel Value Calculator by the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, July 2004.

Solar & Wind Energy

• Solar and Wind Energy for Greenhouses by A.J. Both and Tom Manning, Rutgers University.
• Solar Heat is Not an Option Yet by John Bartok Jr., University of Connecticut.  Reprinted from the October 2007 issue of Greenhouse Management and Production.
• Wind Energy Project Analysis by the Minister of Natural Resources Canada, 2004.
• Wind Speed of Michigan at 30 Meters map by AWS Truewind.
• Michigan – 50 Meter Wind Power map by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Biofuels (corn, biodiesel, wood, switchgrass, algae, etc.)

• Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center website at Michigan State University.
• Minnesota Biomass Heating Feasibility Guide by DLF Consulting, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
• Corn – A Home Grown Heat Source by John Bartok Jr., University of Connecticut.
• Heating with Bioheat and Waste Oil by John Bartok Jr., University of Connecticut.
• Heating with Corn by the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan, January 2007 update.
• Heating of Greenhouse with Biofuel Pellets by O. Fasina, D. Bransby, J. Sibley, and C. Gilliam, Auburn University.  Presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
• Biomass Heating Project Analysis by the Minister of Natural Resources Canada, 2005.
• Wood Biomass for Energy by the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, April 2004.
• Do You Have the Resources? (Wood Fuel) by Bill Calkins, Greenhouse Grower.  Reprinted from the December 2001 issue of Greenhouse Grower.
• Renewable Energy website at Purdue University.

Other Fuels & Related Topics

• Coal Heat – Another Greenhouse Alternative by John Bartok Jr., University of Connecticut.
• Can You Afford Free Heat? (geothermal heat) by Brad Kenney, Greenhouse Grower.  Reprinted from the January 2007 issue of Greenhouse Grower.