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Agrivoltaics: cultivating solar energy to build a more sustainable future
Agrivoltaics, which is sometimes abbreviated to agriPV, combines agricultural production activities and solar energy generation using solar photovoltaic panels on the same arable land. The legal definition for agrivoltaic facilities also stipulates that they must make a lasting contribution to establishing, maintaining or developing agricultural production. This new synergy means that farmers can add clean energy production to their core activities and enjoy additional revenue streams.
The solar panels create a microclimate (shade, wind, temperature, humidity, etc.) that can be beneficial to crops, which can grow while sheltered from the elements. Several types of crops can benefit from this innovative process and its wealth of advantages.
World’s largest floating offshore wind farm becomes operational
The 50MW Kincardine Offshore Windfarm
— the world’s largest floating project to date— has been brought online.
Located in 60-80 metre depths in the North Sea, 15km off Aberdeenshire, Scotland, it comprises five Vestas V164-9.5 MW turbines and one V80-2 MW turbine, mounted on WindFloat semi-submersible platforms.
The 9.5MW turbines are the largest ever installed on floating platforms and together, they should generate in excess of 200GWh annually. The wind farm will be operated and maintained from Aberdeen.
Fishing advocates appeal BOEM Vineyard Wind approval
Saying the Northeast fishing industry has been “systematically marginalized in the permitting process,” the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance sued the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Monday over its July 15 approval of the Vineyard Wind offshore wind energy project.
The group, a coalition of fishermen and coastal communities, filed a petition for review in the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals challenging the permit for the 800-megawatt project off southern Massachusetts.
Japanese Firm Unveils Ship Dedicated to Storing and Transmitting Offshore Wind Power
A Japanese firm has set out to shake up energy storage and transmission with a freshly launched “power transfer vessel” concept that is designed to carry electricity from offshore wind farms to shore. The company’s first electric ship model, which will have an energy storage capacity of 200 MWh, is slated for completion in 2025.
DNV to Study Safety and Risks of Offshore Green Hydrogen Production
The concept of green hydrogen production linked to offshore wind farms is going to take a major step forward as DNV launches an effort to identify and analyze the main environmental, safety, and operational risks associated with one of the world’s first offshore green hydrogen production projects.