How has Iceland – a country known for its moonscapes, geysers, and long winters – become a center for nutritious crops? Through indoor farming, powered by a virtually limitless supply of CO₂-free electricity and automation solutions.
Rows of photobioreactors line the production hall, giving the facility an atmosphere that feels straight out of science fiction. A thick bubbly liquid flows continuously through a network of transparent tubing bathed in purple light. Welcome to VAXA Technology's cutting-edge indoor farming facility. That liquid contains Icelandic Ultra Spirulina – a microalgae rich in protein, iron, and fatty acids, offering a highly sustainable source of nutrition for both people and aquaculture. And the lighting isn't just for show: red and blue are the main wavelengths algae need for photosynthesis.
"Instead of using electricity to create wavelengths the algae do not need, we focus only on the light wavelengths they do need," explains Kristinn Haflidason, General Manager at VAXA Technologies Iceland.
VAXA Technologies facility
VAXA Technologies has developed and patented an energy-to-food platform to cultivate this promising superfood year-round, using only three key inputs: energy, water, and carbon dioxide. When it came to selecting a site for its flagship facility, VAXA chose a location where all three are abundantly available. Situated next to one of the world's largest geothermal power plants in Hellisheiði, the company harnesses its outputs – including waste heat, 100% green electricity, hot and cold non-marine water, and carbon dioxide – to power a highly efficient production process inside a fully bio-secured facility. The results are remarkable: Compared to traditional methods, VAXA is producing microalgae using less than 1 percent of the land and freshwater required by conventional microalgae cultivation while increasing yield by a factor of ten. Behind this success is technology from Siemens.
Seamless automation
The entire system – including the lighting, environmental controls, and nutrient delivery – operates with a high degree of autonomy, powered by automation solutions such as TIA Portal and Simatic S7-1500. Scalance industrial networking components ensure reliable and secure data exchange across the Simatic environment, bridging IT and OT networks. When updates or adjustments to the automation are needed, VAXA's engineers can carry them out quickly and efficiently via the TIA portal.
The implementation of the technology started with an Energy2Feed initiative, where a Siemens team supported VAXA with offline data models and guidance on optimizing control strategy. This platform allows VAXA to precisely monitor and regulate every aspect of production – from growth conditions to harvesting. "These models continue to serve as key input for optimizing the control of the plant and are one of the main reasons why VAXA keeps increasing production. " says Dr. Ari Ingimundarson, Head of Engineering and Operations at VAXA. Appropriately, the word "vaxa" in Icelandic translates means "to grow" or "to increase."
Food for people and fish
"Algae are extremely efficient at converting light into biomass, and we can use 100 percent of our biomass for feed and food," says Kristinn Haflidason. VAXA's microalgae is suitable for human consumption and offers nutritional parity with beef – delivering all essential amino acids, bioavailable iron, and active, unopposed vitamin B12 – but with a significantly smaller carbon footprint. Icelandic Ultra Spirulina is already being incorporated into a variety of food products, including bread, shakes, and plant-based meat alternatives. Beyond human nutrition, VAXA also supplies microalgae to fish hatcheries, where testing has shown it can improve fish survival rates and enhance immune function.
And if that isn't impressive enough, thanks to Siemens automation solutions and VAXA's use of 100 percent clean electricity, the indoor farm has achieved CO₂-negative production. It's a powerful example of what's possible when we tap into the potential of natural species like microalgae and pair it with smart technology.
Source: Siemens