Themis Ecosystem, a whole new approach to connecting future-oriented technologies with supporters, is well-known for its very selective »drivers«. These are well-established businesses with a highly-added value. The latter is based on new solutions that solve worldwide problems.

One approach projects use to create above-average value is adding a new addition or module to proven, successful technology. For example, the project Biomass Ultima which creates green electricity from wood waste has two additional modules. The first one produces organic carbon, the second one creates real diamonds.

Now, the Themis Ecosystem’s flagship driver Project Phoenix8 is getting its addition, too.

Why Roberto Hroval decided to combine food-making with green electricity

»We have two reasons for adding an organic food-making module to our waste-to-energy technology,« said Roberto Hroval, the founder of the Themis Ecosystem and Project Phoenix8. »Our calculations show that we will have a surplus of generated energy, even after we use it for all intended purposes and sell it. This energy remains in our internal system, so we had to figure out how to put it to good use. The second reason is that organic, highly nutritious food, produced cheaply and rationally, represents one of the greatest potentials and opportunities of the future.«

The way a company will grow food is called vertical farming. This is not a new approach to growing food, though. “We didn’t want to invent a new way of growing food,” the founder explained, “it’s just the opposite. We were looking for the best, proven, and self-sustained module for vertical farming that has already gone through the validation process. Our goal is to place the unit in a remote location as a stand-alone module. All we need is electricity which we will send there from the PP8 reactor.”

However, this is not the only novelty the new Project Phoenix8’s add-on will get.

Why growing food underground is the solution

 Another uniqueness is that the food production modules will be located underground.

“There are several reasons,” said Roberto Hroval. “The main one is probably that we do not want to cut down forests and destroy meadows and other fertile areas. They’re shrinking too quickly anyway. Another reason is lower energy consumption and less CO2 emissions. Underground conditions are more stable than on the surface. This is also related to the next reason which is independence from the weather. There are more and more unpredictable floods, storms, periods of extreme temperatures, and other weather anomalies. Scientists declared a 50% chance – and rising – that in the next five years the temperature will rise by a degree and a half, which is a critical limit. That is why it is the responsibility of each individual, and especially the company, to make the maximum contribution to maintaining stability.”

Hroval exposed one big mistake that is too often forgotten. “We rarely think about why we cut down forests so massively. The main reason is not, as you might think, the need for wood. The reason is the need for the more fertile land. However, we do not need it primarily for the growing of food for humans but the care of animals. The meat industry is constantly expanding. Currently, livestock or cattle breeding is also the biggest cause of CO2 emissions. By cutting down much-needed forests which reduce CO2 emissions, we are causing enormous damage. We are destroying biodiversity and natural balance, causing weather extremes, and creating more CO2 emissions.”

The struggle for food is only increasing, and with global warming, it has only accelerated. Another problem is the subtropical climate belt expansion. It has expanded by about seventy miles towards the north and south poles over the past twenty-seven years. In addition to weather extremes, there will also be a drought, which we cannot escape nor easily resolve with ordinary agriculture.

“That is why we have worked long and hard to solve this problem,” Hroval continues, “in a way that preserves forests and other fertile areas.”

Hroval also pointed out the key areas on which the future rests. These are energy, accommodation, food, transport, medicine, and information technology (IT). “In all these areas, there will be tendencies for fight and domination for the next hundred years,” he added.

Vertical farming by Project Phoenix8

The “John’s Organic Roots” project, as the working title for PP8’s vertical farming reads, is based on the production of healthy, all-natural vegetables of the highest quality: lettuce, arugula, radishes, carrots, chicory, cabbage… This method of production allows up to fourteen harvesters per year.

Roberto Hroval: “We studied the symbiosis between living beings for optimal results. We will not exploit nature but create all the necessary elements for successful food-growing by ourselves. For example, part of our vertical farming unit is also a pond with fishes that create the minerals and minerals needed to grow quality food. Therefore, we do not need minerals from mined ore or other sources. In our opinion, a self-sustained, closed circle of food production is the way to go,” concluded the founder.

The trendy way of growing organic food raises problems

 Although vertical farming is evolving rapidly, it also faces limitations and problems. One of the key ones is enormous energy consumption. Project Phoenix8 does not have this problem as the energy is already available.

Given the current market situation, this module could be officially introduced in 2024. However, the first unit that the company will start testing in real-life circumstances is on its way to the EU location.