Smart food production: Automating microalgae farming

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.

Through groundbreaking indoor production processes, VAXA Technologies converts clean energy into food, producing the most sustainable crop in the world – microalgae rich in Omega-3 and protein.

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.

VAXA Technologies facility - Photo copyright: Petur Gunnarson

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.”