The EU has awarded €5.3 million ($5.6 million) to an Israeli-led project that puts solar panels on greenhouse roofs. The Regace Consortium, a group of international research institutes and businesses, will use the funds to further develop the innovative technology.
Israeli startup TriSolar developed a prototype using software, sunlight tracking, and sensors to control the amount of light plants receive, and maximize the electricity the panels generate.
The Regace plan is for greenhouse owners to produce clean energy, as an alternative to clearing large swaths of land for rows of solar panels. This creates new value chains for food growers, who become an important part of the energy economy, creating solar energy jobs in farm economy regions.
The Regace system will enrich greenhouses that don’t receive a lot of sunshine with carbon dioxide, so as to increase crop yields and maximize solar energy production. The consortium consists of research institutes and businesses from Germany, Austria, Greece, Italy, Belgium, and Israel
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