Synthetic turf as an energy producer

14 Mins Read

December 15, 2022

Trials show that synthetic turf fields can produce enough energy to replace natural gas as an energy source to boil water for showers or warming properties. The business cases are in place . Now it is up to the government and property developers to move forward.

By: Guy Oldenkotte

The installation of more sustainable energy sources is often met by opposition. They are blamed for polluting the horizon or to be too demanding for the limited space available space. The Dutch province of Overijssel and Zwolle municipality wondered if they could merge the benefits of various developments. “What if we could extract the heat that builds up in synthetic turf pitches during the summer to use it for our showers and central heating (later in the year) and, at the same time, use cold water to cool down the ambient temperature of the pitch?” they wondered. After all, the principle of a heat exchanger is already commonly used elsewhere. Bidders were assured that if they manage to solve the problem, the authorities would definitely invest in the innovation.

Trial scale-up

The challenge has been accepted by two consortia. Heating solution provider Aendless and sports fields installing company Antea Sport have used a synthetic turf surface from Edel Grass while SuperSub, a producer of light-weight concrete flooring has banded together with engineering firm Sallandse United. They have used synthetic turf surface produced by Condor Grass. The trial fields measure approximately 1,000 m2, making them twice the size of a test setup SuperSub had already established with sports field construction company Topgrass. “Together with SuperSub, we have been researching this concept and how it can generate energy for some time now. As tests showed that it would be possible, we established a small trial at hockey club AMVJ in Amstelveen earlier this year. This field measures about 500m2 and helped us to establish a business case ,” explains Teun Wouters of Topgrass. As the Sallandse United operates from the province of Overijssel, SuperSub decided, for practical reasons, to use them for the latest trial.

Promising results

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