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Professor Plans Greenhouse-Like Tunnel To Grow Crops

By Rachel Agler

Professor Plans Greenhouse-Like Tunnel To Grow Crops

June 18, 2010 Updated Dec 21, 2009 at 10:19 AM EST WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - A Purdue University scientist hopes to build a special greenhouse that will grow vegetables in the Indiana winter by tapping into excess heat produced by a campus power plant. Professor of horticulture Cary Mitchell's goal is to grow produce in a greenhouse-like tunnel he plans to build near Purdue's Wade Power Plant. The greenhouse will trap heat and moisture when the water used to cool Purdue's coal-fired boilers is piped underground beneath it, warming the soil enough to grow crops in the winter. Mitchell recently received a $75,000 grant from Wal-Mart to help with the project. The Wal-Mart grant puts Mitchell more than halfway toward the amount needed for the project. Walmart manager Larry Whitlow says the company is interested in the research as a way to cut costs and benefit local communities. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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