Samrækt ehf
The main aim of Samraekt ehf is implementation of aquaponics using the abundant geothermal energy and other natural resources in an environmentally friendly way. The company aims for commercial aquaponics to become a new sustainable business, offering high quality products and exciting job opportunities for the future. Samraekt works closely with several companies in the field of aquaculture and horticulture, aquaponics SMEs and researchers worldwide. The founder of Samraekt established the Association of the Commercial Aquaponics Companies (ACAC) and is leading the startup of the Aquaponics Association Europe. She was an active partner in the COST FA1305 the EU Aquaponics hub (2014-2018). Samraekt is the coordinating partner and responsible for the overall management of the project and its implementation, and dissemination of project results focusing on geothermal areas worldwide.
University of Iceland
The University of Iceland is the most prestigious university in the country and is rated in the top 300 universities in the world. The University has 15,000 students, of which 4,000 are graduate students and 400 are PhD students. UoI has 12,000 academic staff. UoI has been involved in the development of aquaponics and geothermal energy use in Iceland, the latter for decades. UoI will provide expertise and engineering and will link related student project work to the research and innovation centre.
LandIng Aquaculture
LandIng Aquaculture is an independent consultancy firm specialised in design and engineering of land-based fish farms and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) and aquaponic systems. The staff at LandIng Aquaculture have 10 years of combined experience in the sector, with a project portfolio including RAS at laboratory, pilot and commercial scale for freshwater and marine species. LandIng aquaculture is part of the Association of the Commercial Aquaponics Companies (ACAC) and the Aquaponics Association Europe and was an active partner in the COST FA1305 the EU Aquaponics hub (2014-2018). LandIng provides equipment and design of the recirculating aquaculture part of the system, as well as input on the fish component of the model, and technical support for operating the RAS system.
Wageningen Plant Research
Wageningen Plant Research (Part of Wageningen WU) is a private not for profit research institute with experienced personnel (about 600 fte) and specialises in strategic and applied research for industry and public institutions. By integrating knowledge on crop protection, crop ecology, agricultural systems, genetics and reproduction, Wageningen Plant Research serves the entire agro-production chain with scientific products, from the DNA level to production system concepts. Wageningen Plant Research regularly has articles in the leading scientific journals and has a superb research infrastructure. Wageningen UR is responsible for the research as well as the modelled approach of integrating greenhouse production and available energy-saving technologies with aquaculture, total design of the greenhouse and greenhouse equipment.
Ammerlan TGI
Ammerlaan TGI has been a horticultural grower of potted plants for decades, and is currently exploiting 6 hectares of greenhouse with tropical green plants. In 2010, Ammerlaan was one of the first Dutch greenhouse growers that installed a geothermal well, and since then has been utilising their own geothermal heat and gas, as well as distributing energy to neighbouring companies and neighbourhoods. Ammerlaan TGI is operating a large scale greenhouse with a geothermal well, supplying heat to his own as well as neighbouring operations. The company will contribute the temperature data of their geothermal well for developing the model, and will serve as a geothermal advisor to the other project partners.
The University of Maribor
The University of Maribor (UoM) is Slovenia’s second largest university, established in 1975 in Maribor, Slovenia and is internationally the best ranked university in the country, being among the best 600 universities in the world. It currently has 17 faculties, 148 study programmes, enrols 14,000 students and employs 18,000 staff. The headquarters of the Faculty of Tourism are in the Municipality of Brežice, where the largest spa resort in Slovenia. The Faculty of Tourism has put together a team of leading experts, excellent instructors and renowned researchers following the latest developments in the tourist industry and integrating these practices into the educational process. It offers Undergraduate Program of Tourism, Bachelor Program of Tourism, and Master Program of Tourism. UoM will, together with Municipality of Brežice (MoB), provide expertise for the demonstration of results in Slovenia, public dissemination of knowledge and feasibility study for usage of geothermal energy in the geothermal pool of Municipality of Brežice for future innovative food production based on the system reinjection, taking into account the research results from the systems in Iceland and Netherlands.
Municipality of Brežice, Slovenia
The municipality of Brežice has in the past been aware of the importance of developing energy supply and raising awareness among consumers of energy efficiency. For this purpose, in 1993, the municipality opened an energy advisory office dedicated to advising citizens. In order to prepare the basis for development planning, the Municipality of Brežice, together with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, commissioned the preparation of the Energy Concept of the Brežice municipality. Brežice, has one of the main geothermal energy pools in Slovenia and the largest Slovene geothermal spa Terme Čatež. This is also the reason why Faculty of tourism of University of Maribor is located in Brežice and not in Maribor. UoM cooperates well with the Municipality of Brežice whose position in energy structure of Slovenia is extremely high due to both geothermal energy and the newly established hydropower plant on the Sava river (2017). MoB will, together with University of Maribor (UoM), provide expertise for the demonstration of results in Slovenia, public dissemination of knowledge and feasibility study for usage of geothermal energy in the geothermal pool of Municipality of Brežice for future innovative food production based on the system reinjection, taking into account the research results from the systems in Iceland and Netherlands.
