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Smart food production: Automating microalgae farming

How has Iceland – a country known for its moonscapes, geysers, and long winters – become a center for nutritious crops? Through indoor farming, powered by renewable geothermal electricity and our automation solutions.

The view of green algae through a microscope.

Through groundbreaking indoor production processes, VAXA Technologies uses renewable geothermal energy and other inputs to produce microalgae rich in Omega-3 and protein.

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 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 has developed and patented an energy-to-food platform to cultivate this promising superfood year-round, using 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, renewable geothermal electricity, hot and cold non-marine water, and carbon dioxide – to power its production process inside a fully bio-secured facility.

An ariel view of the VAXA Technologies factory

VAXA Technologies facility - Photo copyright: Petur Gunnarson

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 means “to grow” or “to increase.”

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.
Dr. Ari Ingimundarson, Head of Engineering and Operations, VAXA

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 vitamin B12. This B12 profile is unusual for spirulina: a 2024 study identifies the special lighting used at the Hellisheidi site as one of the factors that may contribute to the high proportion of biologically active B12.

The main difference to animal sources of these nutrients, however, is the considerably lower carbon footprint. A peer-reviewed life-cycle assessment of spirulina produced at the Hellisheidi site found that its greenhouse gas emissions are less than 1 percent of those associated with conventionally produced beef.

It should come as no surprise that 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.

VAXA’s combination of renewable geothermal energy, data models on indoor cultivation and smart automation shows how technology can open new ways of producing nutritious food.

Photonic management of Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) in scalable photobioreactors to achieve biologically active unopposed vitamin B12, Tzachor et al, August 7, 2024.

Environmental Impacts of Large-Scale Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) Production in Hellisheidi Geothermal Park Iceland: Life Cycle Assessment, Tzachor et al, September 7, 2022.

A small child eating green pasta noodles made from algae.

Food with algae ingredients - Photo Copyright: Petur Gunnarson

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