The project combines existing technologies – such as the evaporation of saltwater to create fresh water along with solar thermal energy tech – to utilize what we have (saltwater, CO2) to produce what we need (food, fresh water and energy). This week, the project, which is supported by fertilizer companies, reached a milestone. Its Qatar pilot plant produced 75 kilograms of crops (like cucumbers) per square meter annually while consuming only sunlight and seawater, Science reports. That’s comparable to commercial farms in Europe. At the center of the project is a saltwater-cooled greenhouse, Science explains: One surprising side effect is how the cool, moist air that was leaking out encouraged plants to grow spontaneously outside. By reducing exterior air temperatures with “evaporator hedges” (pictured), the plant was able to grow crops like barley and salad rocket (arugula), along with useful desert plants around the seawater greenhouse. Another key element of the facility is the concentrated solar power plant: “The big question is economic feasibility,” says Richard Tutwiler at the American University in Cairo. “How much did it cost to produce 75 kg of cucumbers per square meter?” The project has also experimented with culturing heat-tolerant algae, growing salt-tolerant grasses for fodder or biofuel, and evaporating the concentrated saline the plant emits to produce salt, Science reports. The Qatar plant is 1 hectare with 600 square meters of growing area inside. Next up: a 20-hectare test facility near Aqaba, Jordan. [SFP press release via Science] Images: Sahara Forest Project This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com
