Berry Leader Driscoll's Transitions Santa Maria Cooling Facility To Solar

The Transformation Is The First of

More Renewable Energy Updates To Come From The Berry Company  

WATSONVILLE, CALIF. (Aug. 11, 2021) – Driscoll’s has installed 3,384 solar panels on its 155,000 square-foot cooling facility in Santa Maria, Calif., which is estimated to generate 1.4 million kilowatt-hours of power annually.

In addition to solar power, Driscoll’s has installed a battery storage system that can hold up to 700 kilowatt-hours. Together, both systems will allow the company to offset about 92% of the facility’s energy usage, generating a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing more than 7,750 cars from the road over the course of 25 years. 

The solar installation in Santa Maria is one of many, as Driscoll’s is in the early stages of pursuing clean and alternative energy sources for its owned and operated coolers across North America.  

“The solar installation in Santa Maria is the first of several planned energy investments,” said J. Miles Reiter, Driscoll’s chairman, and CEO. “We view this inaugural installation as a commitment to Santa Maria, our employees, and our local growers. It’s an investment in our future by having clean technology to support our local operations.” 

In support of Driscoll’s transformation of its cooling facility to solar power, Driscoll’s employees, community members, and local dignitaries, including Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino, gathered at the facility for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Patino commended Driscoll’s for elevating agriculture’s longstanding positive impact on the community by leading with clean and renewable energy. The event was a celebration of Driscoll’s renewable energy milestone and its future alternative energy investments.

As a community-based business, Driscoll’s is committed to growing in harmony with the environment and growing communities it depends on. The commitment challenges Driscoll’s to assess its dependency and impact on local resources, including the energy grid. Berries are a delicate and perishable fruit that must be kept in controlled temperatures as much as possible, which requires a significant amount of energy consumption. Driscoll’s decision to transform its Santa Maria facility to clean energy is a continuation of its 50-year commitment to the community, employees, and local grower network.

About Driscoll’s

Driscoll’s is the global market leader of fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. With more than 100 years of farming heritage, Driscoll’s is a pioneer of berry flavor innovation and the trusted consumer brand of Only the Finest Berries™. With more than 900 independent growers around the world, Driscoll’s develops exclusive patented berry varieties using only traditional breeding methods that focus on growing great-tasting berries. A dedicated team of agronomists, breeders, sensory analysts, plant pathologists and entomologists help grow baby seedlings that are then grown on local family farms. Driscoll’s now serves consumers year-round across North America, Australia, Europe and China in over twenty-two countries.

USA - GEORGIA - Giant Photovoltaic Canopy Tops Net-Positive Kendeda Building In Atlanta

Jenna McKnight | 6 June 2021

US firms Miller Hull Partnership and Lord Aeck Sargent have designed a highly sustainable building at Georgia Tech university that generates more electricity and recycles more water than it uses.

The project – officially called The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design – is located at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a public research university in central Atlanta.

The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design is in Georgia

The educational building was designed by Seattle's Miller Hull Partnership in collaboration with local firm Lord Aeck Sargent, which was purchased by tech startup Katerra in 2018.

The project was backed by the Kendeda Fund, a private family foundation that supports a range of social and environmental initiatives. Skanska served as the general contractor.

The project is a highly sustainable building

The facility recently earned certification from the Seattle-based International Living Future Institute under its Living Building Challenge – one of the most rigorous green-building certification programmes in the world. The facility is considered to be a "regenerative building."

"Regenerative buildings create more resources than they use, including energy and water," the team said.

Classrooms and a design studio are included in the design

"The project's goal is to support the educational mission of Georgia Tech while transforming the architecture, engineering and construction industry in the Southeast US by advancing regenerative building and innovation."

The facility – which totals 47,000 square feet (4,366 square metres) – holds a range of spaces for students and faculty.

These include a design studio, two large classrooms, several laboratories, a seminar room, an auditorium and office space. There also is a rooftop garden with an apiary and pollinator garden.

The building's rooftop garden

Certain areas of the building are open to the public for special events.

While designing the facility, the team took inspiration from vernacular architecture – in particular, large porches that are commonly found on Southern homes.

"The project reimagines this regionally ubiquitous architectural device for the civic scale of the campus," said Miller Hull.

Rectangular in plan, the building is topped with a giant white canopy supported by steel columns. On the west elevation, the roof extends 40 feet (12 metres) to form a large, shaded area below with steps and seating.

A white canopy tops the building

In addition to providing shade, the canopy generates electricity. Its 900-plus solar panels form a 330-kilowatt array that produces enough power to exceed the building's energy needs.

For the exterior cladding, the team incorporated a mix of accoya wood, metal, glass and recycled masonry. The foundation walls are made of concrete.

Materials such as metal form the exterior cladding

Mass timber was used for the structural system due to it having a smaller embodied carbon footprint compared to concrete and steel, the team said.

In large-span areas of the building, the team used glue-laminated trusses with steel bottom chords.

Details on the building's exterior

"This hybrid approach reduces the quantity of wood required while making routing of building services more efficient," the team said.

For the structural decking, nail-laminated timber panels were made off-site and craned into place. A local nonprofit organisation, Lifecycle Building Center, sourced the lumber from discarded movie sets in Georgia.

Large windows flood spaces with natural light

Structural elements, along with mechanical systems, were left exposed so they could serve as a teaching tool.

Salvaged and recycled materials are found throughout the facility. For instance, stairs in the building's atrium are made of lumber off-cuts, and countertops and benches are made of storm-felled trees.

Mechanical systems were left exposed

Water recycling is also part of the building's sustainable design. Rainwater is captured, treated and used in sinks, showers and drinking fountains. In turn, that greywater is channelled to a constructed wetland, where it is treated and used to support vegetation.

The facility is also fitted with composting toilets, which nearly eliminate the use of potable water. The human waste is turned into fertilizer that is used off-site.

The rooftop has a pollinator garden

The building recently earned its Living Building Challenge (LBC) certification following a year-long assessment, in which it needed to prove it is net-positive for energy and water usage.

"It generates more energy from onsite renewable sources than it uses," the team said. "The building also collects and treats more rainwater onsite than it uses for all purposes, including for drinking."

The LBC programme evaluates buildings in seven categories – place, water, energy, health and happiness, materials, equity and beauty.

The Kendeda Building is the 28th building in the world to achieve LBC certification and the first in Georgia. The state's warm and humid climate poses a particular challenge when it comes to energy efficiency, the team said.

A large classroom

A communal workspace

"In spite of this, over the performance period the building generated 225 per cent of the energy needed to power all of its electrical systems from solar panels on its roof," the team said.

"It also collected, treated, and infiltrated 15 times the amount of water needed for building functions."

Students gather under the canopy outside

Other American projects that are designed to meet the LBC standards include the wood-clad Frick Environmental Center in Pittsburgh, designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. It achieved certification in 2018.

Photography is by Jonathan Hillyer and Gregg Willett.

Project credits:

Design architect: The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP
Collaborating and prime architect: Lord Aeck Sargent, a Katerra Company
Contractor: Skanska USA
Landscape architect: Andropogon
Civil engineer: Long Engineering
Mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer: PAE and Newcomb & Boyd
Structural engineer: Uzun & Case
Greywater systems: Biohabitatssolar panels

Noor III is The Newest Stage of The Ouarzazate Solar Power Station in Ouarzazate, Morocco

Noor III is the newest stage of the Ouarzazate Solar Power Station in Ouarzazate, Morocco. This site utilizes a concentrated solar power (CSP) tower design with 7,400 heliostat mirrors that focus the sun’s thermal energy toward the top of an 820-foot-high (250 meters) tower at its center.

At the top of the tower, there is molten salt, which is used in this process due to its ability to get very hot (500–1022°F / 260–550°C). The molten salt then circulates from the tower to a storage tank, where it is used to produce steam and generate electricity.

The Noor III CSP tower can produce and then store enough energy to provide continuous power to the surrounding area for ten days.

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31.059494°, -6.870344°

Growing Lettuce Under Transparent Solar Cells

May 11, 2021

A team of researchers at North Carolina State University has shown that using semi-transparent organic solar cells (OSCs) can help greenhouse growers generate electricity and reduce energy use while still cultivating viable crops of lettuce.

The research found that red lettuce can be grown in greenhouses with OSCs that filter out the wavelengths of light used to generate solar power. The researchers grew crops of red leaf lettuce in greenhouse chambers from seed to full maturity under constant conditions, apart from the lighting regime.

A control group of lettuces was exposed to the full spectrum of white light, while the rest were dived into three experimental groups. Each of those groups was exposed to light through different types of filters that absorbed wavelengths of light equivalent to what different types of semi-transparent solar cells would absorb.

To determine the effect of removing various wavelengths of light, the researchers assessed a host of plant characteristics, such as leaf number, leaf size, and lettuces weight, as well as how much CO2 the plants absorbed and the levels of various antioxidants. “Not only did we find no meaningful difference between the control group and the experimental groups, but we also didn’t find any significant difference between the different filters,” said study co-author Brendan O’Connor.

“We were a little surprised – there was no real reduction in plant growth or health,” added Heike Sederoff, co-author of the study and professor of plant biology. “It means the idea of integrating transparent solar cells into greenhouses can be done.”

Lead photo caption: The study suggests transparent solar panels will not affect lettuce crop growth

Transparent Solar Cells Boost Lettuce Farming While Decreasing Energy Use

New research found transparent solar cells can help greenhouse growers generate electricity and reduce energy use while cultivating crops

Dimitris Mavrokefalidis

29 April 2021

Greenhouse farming of lettuce can be sustainable and energy-efficient under transparent solar cells.

That’s according to a new study by a team of researchers at North Carolina State University, which suggests semi-transparent organic solar cells (OSCs) can help greenhouse growers generate electricity, reduce energy use and cultivate lettuce.

Researchers, who have worked with the organic photovoltaic cell company NextGen Nano, believe OSCs provide a way for greenhouse cultivation without the large energy demands traditionally associated with it.

Published in Cell Reports Physical Science, the research found that red lettuce can be grown in greenhouses with OSCs that filter out the wavelengths of light used to generate solar power.

This means it is feasible to use transparent solar panels in greenhouses to cover their high electricity needs while not shrinking the crop yield.

Doctor Carr Ho, Research Scientist at NextGen Nano, said: “Greenhouses are used to grow plants because they drastically increase yield in non-native climates while lowering water consumption and pesticide use compared to conventional farming.

“But greenhouse glazing has poor thermal insulation, so heating and ventilation systems need to be installed to help maintain optimal conditions. Along with supplemental lighting, this lights to large, unsustainable energy consumptions.”

Lead Image: North Carolina State University

Greenhouses Can Grow Lettuce And Generate Solar Power: Study

March 30, 2021

By Matt Shipman

A recent study shows that lettuce can be grown in greenhouses that filter out wavelengths of light used to generate solar power, demonstrating the feasibility of using see-through solar panels in greenhouses to generate electricity.

“We were a little surprised – there was no real reduction in plant growth or health,” says Heike Sederoff, co-corresponding author of the study and a professor of plant biology at North Carolina State University. “It means the idea of integrating transparent solar cells into greenhouses can be done.”

Because plants do not use all of the wavelengths of light for photosynthesis, researchers have explored the idea of creating semi-transparent organic solar cells that primarily absorb wavelengths of light that plants don’t rely on, and incorporating those solar cells into greenhouses. Earlier work from NC State focused on how much energy solar-powered greenhouses could produce. Depending on the design of the greenhouse, and where it is located, solar cells could make many greenhouses energy neutral – or even allow them to generate more power than they use.

But, until now, it wasn’t clear how these semi-transparent solar panels might affect greenhouse crops.

To address the issue, researchers grew crops of red leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa) in greenhouse chambers for 30 days – from seed to full maturity. The growing conditions, from temperature and water to fertilizer and CO2 concentration, were all constant – except for light.

A control group of lettuces was exposed to the full spectrum of white light. The rest of the lettuces were divided into three experimental groups. Each of those groups was exposed to light through different types of filters that absorbed wavelengths of light equivalent to what different types of semi-transparent solar cells would absorb.

“The total amount of light incident on the filters was the same, but the colour composition of that light was different for each of the experimental groups,” says Harald Ade, co-corresponding author of the study and the Goodnight Innovation Distinguished Professor of Physics at NC State.

“Specifically, we manipulated the ratio of blue light to red light in all three filters to see how it affected plant growth,” Sederoff says.

To determine the effect of removing various wavelengths of light, the researchers assessed a host of plant characteristics. For example, the researchers paid close attention to visible characteristics that are important to growers, grocers, and consumers, such as leaf number, leaf size, and how much the lettuces weighed. But they also assessed markers of plant health and nutritional quality, such as how much CO2 the plants absorbed and the levels of various antioxidants.

“Not only did we find no meaningful difference between the control group and the experimental groups, we also didn’t find any significant difference between the different filters,” says Brendan O’Connor, co-corresponding author of the study and an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State.

“There is also forthcoming work that delves into greater detail about the ways in which harvesting various wavelengths of light affects biological processes for lettuces, tomatoes and other crops,” Sederoff says.

“This is promising for the future of solar-powered greenhouses,” Ade says. “Getting growers to use this technology would be a tough argument if there was a loss of productivity. But now it is a simple economic argument about whether the investment in new greenhouse technology would be offset by energy production and savings.”

“Based on the number of people who have contacted me about solar-powered greenhouses when we’ve published previous work in this space, there is a lot of interest from many growers,” O’Connor says. “I think that interest is only going to grow. We’ve seen enough proof-of-concept prototypes to know this technology is feasible in principle, we just need to see a company take the leap and begin producing to scale.”

About this article:

The paper, “Balancing Crop Production and Energy Harvesting in Organic Solar Powered Greenhouses,” appears in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science. Co-lead authors of the paper are NC State Ph.D. students Melodi Charles and Eshwar Ravishankar. The paper was co-authored by Yuan Xiong, a research assistant at NC State; Reece Henry and Ronald Booth, Ph. D. students at NC State; Jennifer Swift, John Calero and Sam Cho, technicians at NC State; Taesoo Kim, a research scientist at NC State; Yunpeng Qin and Carr Hoi Yi Ho, postdoctoral researchers at NC State; Franky So, Walter and Ida Freeman Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at NC State; Aram Amassian, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at NC State; Carole Saravitz, a research associate professor of plant biology at NC State; Jeromy Rech and Wei You of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Alex H. Balzer and Natalie Stingelin of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Solar Panels And Water Canals Could Form A Real Power Couple In California

BY SHAENA MONTANARI 

MARCH 25, 2021

SOLAR AQUA GRID LLC

Solar canals save water, create energy, and protect natural lands all at the same time.

California has around 4,000 miles of canals that shuttle clean water throughout the state. New research shows that these canals can do way more than bringing California’s residents with drinking water—paired with solar panels, these canals might also be a way to both generate solar power and save water.

This new study presents an analysis from researchers at the University of California Merced and University of California Santa Cruz that quantifies the economic feasibility of building a “solar canal” system in the state.

California’s water system is one of the largest in the world and brings critical water resources to over 27 million people. Brandi McKuin, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Santa Cruz and lead author of the study, found that that shading the canals would lead to a reduction in evaporation of water, kind of like keeping your glass of water under the shade instead of out in the open on a hot summer day prevents evaporation from stealing sips. Putting up a solar panel using trusses or suspension cables to act as a canal’s umbrella is what makes the double-whammy of a solar canal. 

“We could save upwards of 63 billion gallons of water annually,” she says. “That would be comparable to the amount needed to irrigate 50,000 acres of farmland, or meet the residential water needs of over 2 million people.” Water is of especially critical importance to California, a state regularly stricken with drought.

So why don’t we cover up our water canals already? Micheal Kiparsky, the director of the Wheeler Water Institute at the UC Berkeley School of Law who was not involved in the study, says while the water savings from solar canals may sound really great, they are modest when considering the scale of the project. “Water might not be enough of a motivator to tip the scales to do this for the whole state,” he says. 

[Related: At New York City’s biggest power plant, a switch to clean energy will help a neighborhood breathe easier.]

Beyond just cooling down canals, those solar panels can pick up loads of energy from being out in the open sunlight. While the analysis didn’t measure how much capacity these solar panels would have, McKuin estimates through a “back of the envelope” calculation it would be about 13 gigawatts, or “half the projected new capacity needed by 2030 to meet the state’s decarbonization goals.” With that kind of electricity,  there is a possibility that diesel-powered irrigation pumps, which do a number on air quality, could be replaced.

Kiparsky finds the idea of tying electricity generation with the water system that uses a vast amount of electricity intriguing. “I like the idea of making things internally renewable,” he says.

Aquatic weeds also plague canals and can bring water flow to a standstill, but the researchers found that by adding shade and decreasing the plant’s sunshine slashes the amount of weed growth. McKuin says preventing weed growth would also lighten the load for sometimes costly mechanical and chemical waterway maintenance.

[Related: 4 sustainability experts on how they’d spend Elon Musk’s $100 million climate commitment.]

While this study is a “modeling exercise” to show the potential of this idea, McKuin hopes this analysis will inspire utilities, as well as state and federal agencies, to test it out on the real waterways. So far, the only test cases of suspended solar panels are in India. In the city of Gujarat, a “canal-top” solar power plant cost over $18 million in 2015 but has saved 16 hectares of land and trillions of gallons of water. In other locations, where flowing water is not critical, floating solar panels have been installed on reservoirs and lakes around the world in places such as Japan and Indonesia.

Placing solar panels above existing canals can also spare untouched natural land that is frequently slated for sometimes expensive or environmentally destructive solar panel installations. “I think one of the important parts of this story is that in California we have this mandate to produce renewable energy at scale, but we also have to be careful about taking large parcels of land,” McKuin says. “By being creative about where we put solar panels we can maybe avoid some of these trade-offs.”

Tags: CLIMATE ENERGY RENEWABLE ENERGY SOLAR PANELS SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE ENVIRONMENT

What Went Into Building Europe’s Largest Floating Solar Park

For centuries the Dutch have been inventive with their use of water development, but Rotterdam's Floating Solar takes it to a whole new level

By Jeanine Barone

March 26, 2021

Floating Solar will move with the sun through the arc of a day, providing more opportunity for solar energy production. All images are courtesy of Evides

The Dutch have always been inspired by the water—no surprise, considering the country borders the North Sea and its interior is speckled with an abundance of lakes, ponds, and waterways. Land is scarce in the Netherlands. And much of the terrain, including Rotterdam, the second-largest city, sits below sea level. This fact has spurred a concerted eco-consciousness and inventive use of water for technological developments, including generating electricity. Enter Floating Solar, a Dutch company that creates innovative renewable solar systems, including Europe’s largest floating, sun-tracking solar park that’s just four miles from central Rotterdam. (In several months, they’ll have three even bigger ones generating electricity in the Netherlands.) Collaborating with Floating Solar, Evides Waterbedrijf, a company that supplies drinking water to more than two million consumers and companies in the Netherlands, is home to this unconventional assembly.

"We see it as our social responsibility to contribute to our national sustainability goals and to the Dutch energy transition," says Dirk Mathijssen, program manager. Almost 3,000 solar panels stretch across a circular platform that’s 345 feet in diameter (essentially an island) that floats in a seven-some-acre reservoir, where Evides stores river water before it’s treated to become drinking water. "By using this water surface, we ensure that the scarce land remains available for other purposes," Mathijssen explains.

The solar park yield is 20 to 30% more energy than with static (land) systems, mainly due to the fact that it rotates with the sun while allowing the water beneath to cool the solar panels. 

Unlike what we’re accustomed to with land-based solar panels that are mounted on a stationary surface, here, thanks to solar-sensors embedded in the platform and a series of anchor cables and winches, the entire rig rotates, allowing the solar panels to track the sun’s movement across the sky.

These floating, sun-tracking solar panels offer myriad advantages. According to Kees-Jan van der Geer, general manager at Floating Solar, "The energy yield is 20 to 30% higher than with static (land) systems." That’s because this system is highly efficient, both due to the fact that it keeps its eye on the sun, so to speak, and also the water has a cooling effect on the solar panels. The result: this distinctive assemblage generates about 15% of the electricity that Evides consumes at this water processing site, a significant amount, to be sure. (Evides also employs a number of land-based solar panels, the entire set up producing an impressive two gigawatts of electricity, an amount that some 650 households might use, on average, in a year.)

“Be prepared” could be Floating Solar’s motto, given that they’ve taken into consideration a variety of problems that can befall floating solar panels. For example, Rotterdam can often see powerful winds gusting across the city. So, they’ve implemented sensors to monitor wind forces, the height of waves and many other variables, making the system stormproof, explains van der Geer. If the wind gusts at 47 to 53 m.p.h., "we turn the island square into the wind so it blows through the rows of solar panels."

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The solar panels have been designed to take nesting birds and potential harm from strong winds into account.

And then there are the birds that might think about alighting on the panels, leaving droppings, or building nests, situations that would reduce the system’s efficiency. That's why the solar panels are set at an angle that's not conducive to bird visits.

The future, for Evides, seems quite green—a commitment to environmental consciousness that is understandable, given the need to protect and preserve its water sources. With the floating and land-based solar panels, “we are aiming to be energy neutral by somewhere between 2025 and 2030," says Mathijssen.

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JAPAN: Producing Electricity While Producing Wine Thanks To A Greenhouse

The ASX-listed ClearVue Technologies has landed its first order in relation to a greenhouse project.

The order for about 30 square meters of ClearVue’s insulated window or glass units, or “IGUs” incorporating solar photovoltaic cells came from the Japanese company Fujisan Winery, which is located at the base of tourist mecca Mount Fuji in Japan.

Fujisan Winery is building the new greenhouse as part of a sustainability model on how they operate as a company and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals as adopted by the Fujinomiya Administrative County where the winery is located. The greenhouse is to be located on the Asagiri Plateau at the southwest base of Mt Fuji with spectacular views across the plateau to the Mt Fuji volcano itself. The region is a key destination for tourists and visitors to Mt Fuji.

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The greenhouse is to be used by the winery to grow produce and vine stock on-site and may be used for corporate events and promotion for the winery. In addition to the greenhouse, Fujisan Winery will build a new 40 seat fine dining restaurant adjacent to the greenhouse and other outbuildings as part of a larger winery expansion project.

The ClearVue IGU panels are currently being manufactured for expected delivery in Japan by the end of December 2020 with the installation of the glazing into the newly constructed sustainable greenhouse anticipated to commence by late January 2021. The greenhouse is expected to be opened with the winery restaurant in or around March 2021. 

Commenting on the greenhouse, Architect for the project, Paul Ma has said: “We specialize in the master planning of sustainable resort projects. When we first met with ClearVue founder Victor Rosenberg we were simply blown away by the potential for deployment of the ClearVue technology and product into our sustainable architectural design projects. We have watched with interest the continued commercialization of the ClearVue product to this point and can now explore how we might deploy it in our client work.

The greenhouse project in Japan whilst small is a great project for us to use as an example for such future project work and represents a great showpiece for Fujisan Winery who have a deep commitment to sustainability in their wine production and business operations. The region in which they operate the winery also has a stated commitment to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals and seeks the same from its constituents. The winery expansion project will explore several different sustainable solutions in addition to the ClearVue technology and will itself become a destination and showcase for sustainable design worldwide.

Commenting on the Fujisan Winery greenhouse project, ClearVue CEO Ken Jagger has said: “We are very pleased to be working with the Paul Ma Design team on this leading-edge sustainable design project. The innovative and high-profile nature of the project and this use of the ClearVue product is an exciting development for the Company. We very much look forward to both updating the market on the Fujisan Winery greenhouse as it progresses and to a long working relationship with the Paul Ma Design team on future projects.”

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For more information:
ClearVue PV
http://www.clearvuepv.com/ 

27 Nov 2020

Next Generation of Greenhouses May Be Fully Solar Powered

Many greenhouses could become energy neutral by using see-through solar panels to harvest energy – primarily from the wavelengths of light that plants don’t use for photosynthesis. Those are the findings of a new modeling study conducted by engineering, plant biology and physics researchers at North Carolina State University.

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“Plants only use some wavelengths of light for photosynthesis, and the idea is to create greenhouses that make energy from that unused light while allowing most of the photosynthetic band of light to pass through,” says Brendan O’Connor, corresponding author of the study and an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State. “We’re able to do this by using organic solar cells because they allow us to tune the spectrum of light that the solar cell absorbs – so we can focus on using mostly wavelengths of light that plants don’t use. However, until now it wasn’t clear how much energy a greenhouse could capture if it was using these semitransparent, wavelength selective, organic solar cells.”

To address that question, researchers used a computational model to estimate how much energy a greenhouse could produce if it had semitransparent organic solar cells on its roof – and whether that would be enough energy to offset the amount of energy the greenhouse required to operate effectively. The model was developed to estimate energy use for greenhouses growing tomatoes at locations in Arizona, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

“A lot of the energy use in greenhouses comes from heating and cooling, so our model focused on calculating the energy load needed to maintain the optimal temperature range for tomato growth,” O’Connor says. “The model also calculated the amount of energy a greenhouse would produce at each location when solar cells were placed on its roof.”

The modeling is complex because there’s a complicated trade-off between the amount of power the solar cells generate and the amount of light in the photosynthetic band that they allow to pass through. Basically, if growers are willing to sacrifice larger amounts of photosynthetic growth, they can generate more power.

What’s more, the solar cells used for this analysis are effective insulators, because they reflect infrared light. This helps to keep greenhouses cooler in the summer while trapping more warmth in the winter.

The end result is that, for many greenhouse operators, the trade-off could be a small one. Particularly for greenhouses in warm or temperate climates.

For example, in Arizona, the greenhouses could become energy neutral – requiring no outside source of power – while blocking only 10% of the photosynthetic band of light. However, if growers are willing to block more photosynthetic light, they could generate twice as much energy as they required to operate the greenhouse. In North Carolina, a greenhouse could become energy neutral while blocking 20% of the photosynthetic light. In Wisconsin, greenhouses couldn’t become energy neutral using the semitransparent solar cells – keeping the greenhouse warm in winter requires too much energy. However, the solar cells could meet up to 46% of the greenhouse’s energy demand.

“While the technology does use some of the light plants rely on, we think the impact will be negligible on plant growth – and that the trade-off will make financial sense to growers,” O’Connor says.

The paper, “Achieving Net Zero Energy Greenhouses by Integrating Semitransparent Organic Solar Cells,” is published in the journal Joule. First author of the paper is Eshwar Ravishankar, a Ph.D. student at NC State. The paper was co-authored by Ronald Booth, a Ph.D. student at NC State; Carole Saravitz, director of the NC State University Phytotron; Heike Sederoff, professor of plant and microbial biology at NC State; and Harald Ade, Goodnight Innovation Distinguished Professor of Physics at NC State. The work was done with funding from the National Science Foundation, under grant number 1639429.

Source: NC State University

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Publication date: Mon 10 Feb 2020

NYC's Roofs Are Getting A Sustainable Makeover

It's been two months since New York's Sustainable Roof Laws,

part of the Climate Mobilization Act, took effect.

Now architects and officials must decide:

Are green roof systems or solar systems best?

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AUTHOR: Cailley LaPara

Jan. 22, 2020

While the buzz around the passage of New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act in April 2019 has fizzled, the city’s public officials, property owners, architects, real estate moguls, and financiers are revving up to put new policies into practice.

As of Nov. 15, 2019, Local Laws 92 and 94 are in effect to target a vast, often overlooked and underutilized resource in New York: roofs.

The laws, known informally as the Sustainable Roof Laws, require most new buildings and buildings undergoing major roof reconstruction to include a sustainable roofing zone on 100% of the available roof space.

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Sustainable roofing zones are defined as "areas of a roof assembly where a solar photovoltaic electricity generating system, a green roof system, or a combination thereof, is installed." In other words, the roofs must have a solar panel array, green roof or both.

"When you fly into New York City, you see an amazing amount of unproductive roof space," Jonce Walker, senior associate at Thornton Tomasetti, told Smart Cities Dive. Walker and others in the sustainable design community hope Local Laws 92 and 94 are going to change that.

Facing change

The Sustainable Roofs Laws have mobilized several sectors in New York City, from the government to investment, each one grappling with how to manage new regulations designed to drive drastic changes in the city.

"The goal [of Local Laws 92 & 94] is to make sustainable roofs just one of the parts of how you put a good building together," Mark Chambers, director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, told Smart Cities Dive.

Currently, sustainable roofs are far from the norm in New York. According to a mapping project from The Nature Conservancy, there were only about 730 green roofs out of over 1 million rooftops in New York City in 2016. 

Solar is much more prevalent, with a total of about 22,000 completed solar projects throughout the city as of 2019, according to the team at Sustainable CUNY. They indicate the number of new solar projects implemented each year in the city has increased dramatically since 2016, due in part to the establishment of Professional Certification (Pro-Cert), which shortened the review period of new solar projects to just 24 hours.

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Solar growth in New York City. | Credit: Sustainable CUNY

Not all property owners will be immediately faced with the required adjustments. Buildings dedicated to affordable housing have an alternative compliance timeline of five years during which the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) will conduct studies on the impact of the law on affordability.

But Jennifer Leone, sustainability officer at HPD, pointed out that the department has "already been leading the charge" when it comes to sustainable roof practices with programs like the Green Housing Preservation Program. 

Lead Photo: Credit: Alex Potemkin vis Getty Images

LA & 8Minute Solar Ink Lowest Cost Solar-Plus-Storage Deal In US History

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September 11th, 2019 by Steve Hanley 

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has signed a groundbreaking 25-year power purchase agreement with 8Minute Solar. The deal will make possible the largest municipal solar plus storage facility in the US. But the best part is the combined price for solar energy plus storage is just 3.3 cents per kilowatt-hour, the lowest ever in the US and cheaper than electricity from a natural gas-powered generating plant.

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Credit: 8Minute Solar

The electricity will come from a massive solar power plant located on 2000 acres of undeveloped desert in Kern County, just 70 miles from the city. Known as the Eland Solar and Storage Center, it will be built in two stages of 200 MW each, with the first coming online in 2022 and the second phase scheduled to be switched on the following year.

Los Angeles DWP will take 375 MWac of solar power coupled with 385.5 MW/1,150 MWh of energy storage, according to PV Magazine. Neighboring Glendale Water and Power will take 25 MWac of solar plus 12.5 MW/50 MWh of energy. The electricity from Eland I and II is expected to meet between 6 and 7% of Los Angeles’ needs, according to PV Magazine.

The Eland Solar & Storage Center has been engineered by 8minute to provide fully dispatchable power under control of the LA DWP to meet its customers’ demands with reliable and cost-effective power — a capability previously reserved for large fossil fuel power plants. Eland’s ability to provide fully dispatchable power for less than the traditional cost of fossil fuels effectively positions solar PV as an attractive candidate to be the primary source of California’s 100% clean energy future.

In case you didn’t know, the company takes its name from the amount of time it takes the sun’s rays to reach the Earth at the speed of light. In an e-mail to CleanTechnica, Jeff McKay, VP of marketing for the company, says, “Today was a big win for the city of Los Angeles, the people of California and the renewable energy industry as well.

“The project offers a glimpse of the future, with zero-carbon sources providing energy cheaper than fossil fuels to households throughout Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley — at the lowest combined solar and storage prices on record. While further final regulatory approval is still needed, today was a big step in ensuring this project becomes a reality, and we feel very strongly that this project is a win-win for everyone involved.”

The Eland PPA was supposed to close a few months ago, but the IBEW local that represents the workers at the city-operated natural gas power plants complained their needs were not being addressed properly. It now appears those concerns have been addressed, according to the LA Times.

If the transition to renewable energy is to take place in an orderly and expeditious fashion, it is vital that the needs of workers in legacy industries not be ignored and that positive steps are taken to protect the interests of those who will feel the economic impact of the changes coming for the utility industry. 
 
Tags: 8Minute Energy, Eland Solar, and Storage Center, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

About the Author

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Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Rhode Island and anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. His motto is, "Life is not measured by how many breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away!" You can follow him on Google + and on Twitter

Solar Power Farms Continue To Spread Across The Globe

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By Ivy Heffernan on August 19, 2019

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Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, announced that a 100.1 MWp solar plant utilizing the Company’s 1500Vdc central inverter solutions came online in Cafayate, Salta Province, Argentina, demonstrating the Company’s dedicated contribution to the largest solar plant in one of LATAM’s most booming solar energy regions.

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(Not Argentinian solar farm. In place to express how large the solar power farming industry is becoming).

The project is located in Cafayate, a region optimized for solar energy due to a high-volume of sunny days, while frequented by sandstorms, putting solar project equipment susceptible to  significant wear-and-tear. Embedded with a high protection level and smart forced air-cooling technology, the 6.25 MW turnkey solution with Sungrow central inverter SG3125HV for 1500Vdc system can perform efficiently and stably even in harsh environments, making it the ideal match for the plant.

Optimized for large-scale utility PV plant, the solution enables high yields with maximum inverter efficiency of 99% and DC/AC ratio up to 1.5 while at the same time ensures low transportation and installation cost due to standard container design. Early this May, Sungrow secured deal for 400 MW solar park in Chile, utilizing the solution as well.

The solar park was selected by Argentinean government in the second round (Ronda 1.5) of the country’s RenovAr auction program for large-scale renewable energy plants. It is expected to supply approximately 240 GWh of clean power to the Argentinean power system per year and bring hundreds of job creations for local communities, contributing to the national renewable ambition of the emerging solar hub.

“We are delighted to partner with Sungrow to build the landmark project in this country with vital solar resource and look forward to collaborating on more ventures in the near future in line with the extension of ‘the Belt and Road’ initiative,” said an executive from PowerChina, the EPC of the solar plant.

“We are very proud to be a part of this monumental 100.1 MWp project which will provide thousands of Argentinians with clean energy,” said James Wu, Vice President of Sungrow. “This will have positive effects on local economy–tap the potential of renewable energy further and diversify the energy mix,” he added.

Since entering the Latin American market in late 2010s, Sungrow team has been establishing itself as the comprehensive technical, service and sales platform. Currently, the Company’s shipment in the region approaches 1 GW. Furthermore, a wide range of product portfolio will be showcased in the upcoming solar function, Intersolar South America 2019 (27-29, August, Booth D36), representing its commitment to technical innovation and concerns for local demand.

About Sungrow

Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd (“Sungrow”) is a global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables with over 87 GW installed worldwide as of June 2019. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters, with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions. With a strong 22-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 60 countries, maintaining a worldwide market share of over 15%.

  Argentina, farming, green energy, renewable energy, solar, solar power, Sungrow

Solar Power Farms Continue To Spread Across The Globe added by Ivy Heffernan on August 19, 2019
View all posts by Ivy Heffernan →

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Ivy Heffernan, student of Economics at Buckingham University. Junior Analyst at HeffX and experienced marketing director.and experienced marketing director.

Solar Panels Could Make Saltwater Safe For Farming

An ambitious project in Saudi Arabia wants to capture wasted solar heat for good uses.

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By David Grossman

July 11, 2019

A new device created by researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia can purify water through solar power. While there have been previous attempts to merge solar power and clean water, the scientists say they have developed a new three-stage system that radically increases efficiency.

The need to combine water purification through clean means is a growing one, giving the rise in man-made climate change. Water scarcity is increasing throughout a variety of places on the planet, from South Africa to India. "The water-energy nexus is one of the main issues threatening sustainable global development," says Wenbin Wang, a Ph.D. student at the University's Water Desalination and Reuse Center, in a press statement.

To combat the problem, the KAUST team looked at solar panels holistically. Silicon solar panels take in around 20 percent of the light they absorb, converting them into electricity. While that number is increasing, scientists predict that no photovoltaic (PV) panel will be able to absorb more than around 27 percent of the light. That leaves a significant amount of light being reflected, which generates heat.

The team, led by Professor Peng Wang of the Reuse Center, looked to put that heat to work.

"The PV panel generates a lot of heat, and the heat is considered a headache in PV,” Wang tells Cosmos. "The uniqueness of the device lies in its smart and effective use of the waste heat of the PV as a resource, which leads to its high efficiency in both electricity and fresh water production."

To capture the heat, the team built out a stack of water channels, separated by porous hydrophobic membranes and heat conduction layers. These layers were attached to the bottom of a commercial PV panel. Heat from the panel would vaporize seawater in the top channel, cross through the porous membrane, and then finally condense as fresh water in the third channel.

The team also put the vapor of the seawater to use. A thermal conduction layer to the next seawater channel would collect its heat, allowing the machine to recycle that energy and create even more fresh water.

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In tests, the team was able to generate up to 1.64 liters of water per square meter of solar panel surface every hour.

“In a sense, it utilizes solar energy to a much fuller capacity,” Wang tells Cosmos.

The next step for the team is to try and expand its project to the extent that it would be viable for agriculture. Many innovations in agriculture, like vertical farming, attempt to save water. Being able to use saltwater for farms could radically change how water is consumed around the world. In the U.S. alone, farming represents approximately 80 percent of the country's consumptive water use.

"Raising sheep in the field of PV farms is feasible because grass grows well using the fresh water from solar-panel washing," Wenbin says in the press statement. "A PV farm with sheep grazing while seawater is desalinated using our device could be ideal in arid regions near the coast."

This Solar-Powered Cannabis Facility Is Biggest In U.S.

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Written by Peter McCusker

The first commercial-scale solar-powered cannabis farm is a “green” template for the industry to follow, says the company behind its creation.

Californian cultivator Canndescent spent $3.75 million retrofitting its 11,000-square-foot growing warehouse in Desert Hot Springs. The commercial-scale solar cannabis project uses 734 solar modules, on seven different carport structures, and can now produce enough power to charge an estimated 20% of U.S. smartphones for a day.

Canndescent founder and CEO, Adrian Sedlin, said in a press statement: “We commissioned the solar project because the modern cannabis consumer deserves and demands that we create exceptional products using exceptional practices.”

“As an industry coming of age right now, it’s natural and appropriate for the cannabis industry and Canndescent to lead the business community in addressing some of the world’s pressing challenges,” he continued.

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Desert Hot Springs, CA

The state-of-the-art, clean energy system has a capacity of 283 kilowatts and will reduce the facility’s annual carbon emissions by 365 tons. Two-thirds of U.S. commercial cannabis production facilities are indoor operations, while a further 20% are at least partially indoors. Indoor cannabis facilities require large amounts of energy for lighting, heating, air-conditioning, and dehumidification systems, said the press release.

Indoor cannabis greenhouses are said to consume around 1% of US electricity, according to industry experts. Whilst outdoor growers tax local water resources. As the first cannabis company to use renewable power at a large-scale production facility, Canndescent says it has “created a ground-breaking template for sustainability… uniting water efficiency, energy efficiency and pesticide-free growing in an indoor format.”

Canndescent constructed the project in eight weeks after a two-year struggle to win approval and financing. The project consists of custom carport structures since solar could not be installed on the facility roof due to fire codes, reports Solar Power World.

Canndescent’s Chief Compliance Officer Tom DiGiovanni said: “Given the restrictions around cannabis banking and lending and the complexities of energy projects and California civil construction in general, this was extraordinarily difficult to pull off. Nevertheless, we got it done and have established a template for the ‘green industry’ to go greener.”

Canndescent was set up by Harvard Business School graduate Adrian Sedlin and opened the first municipally-permitted facility in California in 2016. Desert Hot Springs, where Canndescent is based, went bankrupt in 2001 and almost did again in 2014. The town then decided to become the first place in California to allow indoor cannabis farming on an industrial scale, and has experienced a renaissance since.

California legalized the sale and use of marijuana for recreational purposes in 2018.

New York Passes Mandatory Green Roof Legislation

Linda Velazquez on April 18, 2019

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Javits Convention Center. Image: Aramis Velazquez

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Celebrates Historic Passing of The Climate Mobilization Act in New York City – Green Roofs Required on New Buildings

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities shares the historic win for all New Yorkers as well as the larger green infrastructure community: Today, April 18, 2019 at 1:30 pm EST time the New York City Council passed The Climate Mobilization Act, a suite of measures to reduce greenhouse gases released from buildings in New York City, including a requirement for green roofs and/or solar panels on newly constructed buildings.

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Brooklyn Grange. Image: Linda Velazquez

The package of bills includes three pieces of legislation from New York City Council members Rafael Espinal, Donovan Richards and Stephen Levin.

“For the past two years Green Roofs for Healthy Cities has been advocating for new measures to grow the green roof market in New York City, and we are very pleased with the passage of this new legislation”, said Steven W. Peck, GRP, Honorary ASLA, Founder and President, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. “New York now joins cities like Denver, San Francisco, Toronto and Portland, Oregon in making green roofs a requirement.” he added. “Through direct lobbying efforts from Green Roofs for Healthy Cities members and other partners, New York City will quickly become a leader in reducing the effects of climate change from its buildings. Thanks to all of the individuals involved!” he added.

Rafael Espinal, NYC Council Member, 37th District, who has been at the forefront of this push for a greener New York City said,

“Today, we are passing a bill that won’t just make our skyline prettier – it will also improve the quality of life for New Yorkers for generations to come. My legislation will require green roofs to be installed on new residential and commercial buildings, making New York the largest city in the nation to pass such a law. We’ve already seen the revolutionary benefits of green roofs in action thanks to places around the city like Brooklyn Steel, the Barclays Center, the Javits Center, the USPS Morgan Processing and Distribution Center, and many others. They cool down cities by mitigating Urban Heat Island Effect, cut energy costs, absorb air pollution, reduce storm-water runoff, promote biodiversity, provide sound-proofing, and make our cities more livable for all.”

“I want to thank the advocates who were instrumental in pushing this forward, Council Members Donovan Richards and Stephen Levin for partnering with me on this effort, and Speaker Johnson for his leadership. These bills show that New York will not be idle in the face of an existential threat like climate change. At a time when the federal government is taking us backward, it is up to cities to lead us into a sustainable future. The time to act is now.”

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Kingsland Wildflower Rooftop. Image: Kingsland Wildflowers Green Roof & Community Space

The Climate Mobilization Act covers eight initiatives and two resolutions, among which includes:

• Int. 1031 – Green Roof Information
• Int. 1032 – Green Roofs for New Construction
• Res. 66 – Green Roof Tax Abatement increase

The Climate Mobilization Act is the largest single act to cut climate pollution of any city. In a densely packed metropolitan of over seven million residents, commercial and residential buildings are the largest source of emissions and sit at the center of the policy change. The Act will set emission caps with the goal of reducing emissions by 2030. Depending on the size and property assessments of the buildings, owners will be able to meet targets, ranging from a cut of emissions by 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050 for larger buildings. Smaller buildings will reduce emissions in more modest measures.

Also see today’s article from Brooklyn Eagle.

Congratulations to New York City and to all whose hard and persistent work made this important Climate Mobilization Act happen!

CLIMATE CHANGE, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, GREEN ROOFS, SOLAR

What Type of Solar Kit Do I Need To Run My Grow Lights?

Q: What Type of Solar Kit Do I Need To Run My Grow Lights?

Quick question on solar. I want to run eight, 1,000W adjustable double-ended bulbs along with a five-ton AC unit and a Quest 205 dehumidifier. Along with fans, lights, and AC on 240V and the rest 120V. On an average of 18 hours a day. Around 150 amps to be safe. Is that a sufficient amount of info to receive an idea of what type of solar kit I can buy?

A: For most people, the main purpose of going solar is to offset the cost of electricity. However, solar power systems come in two general types, grid-tied and off-grid. This is generally one of the first decisions to make when it comes to solar panel installation.

Grid-tied means that the solar panels are directly tied to the conventional power grid and may provide some or all of your power needs. When unused power is created by your solar panels it is automatically delivered to the grid, earning you credits on your power bill.

Off-grid systems are not connected to the conventional power grid and operate independent of your local power company, and requires that 100 percent of your power comes from your system. Also, unused power must be stored in a battery bank until it can be used at a later time. A truly off-grid system will greatly increase the cost per watt of your solar system and also cost more to maintain over time.

I will assume you are most interested in a grid-tied system. Because of the sensitive nature of the equipment, I would recommend having a licensed electrician pull four circuits from your supply of power. Subpanel No.1 will be for the eight lighting fixtures. Each double-ended fixture is capable of 1,150 watts, so we will estimate maximum power consumption at 9,200 watts. At 240V the total draw is approximately 38.3 amps (38.3A). For safety and load ratings I always add 20 percent which makes the correct choice for Subpanel No. 1 a 50A double pole 240V breaker.

Subpanel No. 2 will be for the five-ton commercial grade A/C which will use about 32A or less at 240V, so that makes the correct choice for Subpanel 2 a 40A double pole 240V breaker.

Subpanel No. 3 is for the commercial-grade 205-pint dehumidifier that will require a dedicated 120V 20-amp circuit with a NEMA 5-20 plug. Lastly, I would have your electrician pull a final 120V 15-amp circuit for all of your additional fans and accessories.

The total wattage of the major appliances is around 18,325 watts. Assuming all the major appliances are running at maximum for 18 hours a day, that is approximately 330-kilowatt hours (kWh) per day or 10,030 kWh per month. However, although the lights will operate for 18 hours a day continually, the A/C and the dehumidifier will not, so your actual consumption will be less.

Because of the complexity when it comes to selecting the right size solar system, I would recommend you to consult a local company to determine the number of solar panels you will need. Local factors such as geographic location, weather, positioning, and line of sight blockages in your horizon all play a factor into how many kilowatt hours you can produce per day. Also, local laws, permits, and regulations will apply, which makes consulting a local solar expert worth the time and money to ensure a smooth purchase and installation.

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Walmart To Install Solar Panels On 19 Of Its Stores In Illinois

This Walmart video shows rooftop and ground-mounted solar panels at some of its stores and distribution centers in the United States. The company recently announced plans to expand its solar program to 21 sites in Illinois.By Teri Maddox

BY TERI MADDOX

tmaddox@bnd.com

November 16, 2018

The nation’s largest retailer is joining the solar boom in Illinois next year.

Walmart has reached an agreement with a California company to install solar systems at two distribution centers and 19 stores, including those in Belleville, O’Fallon, Sparta and Litchfield. It’s billed as a way to save money on electricity and help the environment by reducing carbon emissions.

The move was prompted by the state’s new Adjustable Block Program, which provides incentives for commercial and residential rooftop solar projects, as well as community solar farms.

“We can meet or beat our current cost of energy (under the agreement),” said Katherine Canoy, Walmart’s senior manager for renewable energy, speaking by phone from Bentonville, Arkansas. “From a business perspective, it makes sense for us on a lot of levels.”

The company already has solar systems at about 350 of its 5,000 sites in the United States, including Walmart and Sam’s Club stores. Canoy said installations don’t have a direct effect on prices, but the company’s increasing use of renewable wind and solar energy will help keep them low in the long run.

For Walmart’s first 21 solar projects in Illinois, the retailer is partnering with SunPower, a company based in San Jose, California. It designs, installs and maintains commercial solar systems all over the country, often combining rooftop and ground-mounted solar panels.

Most customers are able to generate 40 to 75 percent of their electricity with solar, said Robert Rogan, SunPower’s senior director of strategy. Walmart generates 5 to 70 percent at its existing solar sites.

“It really varies from store to store, depending on how much of the roof space we can utilize and also how much energy that store is using,” Rogan said.

Some Walmart stores have skylights and air-conditioning units on their roofs, and climate can affect how much electricity is needed to heat and cool buildings.

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This photo shows a commercial solar system installed by SunPower, a company based in San Jose, California. It’s designing systems for 19 Walmart stores and two distribution centers in Illinois.

Quality, Quantity of Qatar's Fresh Produce Have 'Substantially Improved' This Summer

August 04 2018

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QATAR

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Joey Aguilar

*Company exported products to Kuwait nearly five weeks ago and is now in talks with Oman: Qatari agriculturist

Both the quality and quantity of fresh produce in Qatar have significantly improved this summer compared to the same period in previous years, prominent Qatari agriculturist Nasser Ahmed al-Khalaf has told Gulf Times.

Al-Khalaf, managing director of local Qatari agricultural development company Agrico, attributed the feat to research and development.

“We have been constantly improving the system to produce more and meet the increasing demand for fresh vegetables in the country,” he noted. “It (greenhouse) is developed by us and our research and development (in indoor farming) continues.”

Agrico, which operates a 120,000sqm (12 hectares) organic farm in Al Khor, has been at the forefront of helping the country achieve food security. It produces organic vegetables all year long, using locally made and state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouses.

The company exported products to Kuwait by sea nearly five weeks ago and is now negotiating with Oman, according to al-Khalaf.

“Hopefully, within the next three weeks we will start our first shipment to Oman since the blockade,” he added.

Al-Khalaf also disclosed that they are currently developing a greenhouse system with solar energy, which could supply a substantial amount of electricity to his farm near Al Khor. “If we are able to generate enough power, then we can produce all types of vegetables in the greenhouse.”

He noted that such a plan, which is still in the design phase, aims to take advantage of the greenhouse structure and use new types of solar panels to generate power.

Al-Khalaf said the company is now modifying its seasonal net greenhouses, which built for the winter this year, to produce even during the summer.

The company has constructed an additional 120,000sqm of these seasonal net greenhouses to grow more fresh vegetables during the winter season, in addition to its 120,000sqm facility, which operates all year round.

“We have actually planted (in) the net greenhouse in mid-July and waiting for the production in the end of August,” he said. “If we succeed, we can guarantee a long season that can last 10 months or more of production, getting a high yield at a very low cost.

“My target today is to increase the yield per square metre in different types of greenhouses and produce new varieties such as strawberries.”

According to al-Khalaf, his farm now also produces good-quality papayas, which can be bought in the local market.

Agrico is also planning to experiment with growing bananas by the end of this year, apart from melons and watermelons.

summer fresh produce quality quantity substantially

New York City Council Pushes Green Infrastructure At New Developments

July 18, 2018

Bill would mandate rooftops be outfitted with gardens, solar panels or wind turbines

By Joe Anuta

The City Council plans to introduce a bill Wednesday mandating green roofs on certain new developments. Expect push-back from the real estate industry.

The legislation, sponsored by Brooklyn Councilmen Rafael Espinal Jr. and Stephen Levin, would require 100% of the rooftops on newly built or substantially renovated commercial or industrial buildings to be outfitted with some combination of green space, solar panels and wind turbines. The aim of the legislation is to save energy because  buildings are responsible for three-quarters of carbon emission in the city.

"We have to look at the infrastructure improvements we can make here to ensure we're doing our part in reducing our carbon footprint and cooling our city down," Espinal told The New York Times.

But increasing construction costs and commandeering rooftop space that is increasingly used for amenities to lure commercial tenants are sure to provoke a confrontation with the development community.

The council has considered a number of bills recently that relate to urban wind power, which is far from the most viable way to make the city greener. Reducing consumption would have a much bigger impact, and wind power is most effective when harnessed at offshore farms.