Haydn Cassar - Agrivoltaics: For Sustainable Agribusiness

My name is Haydn Cassar and my project is called ‘Agrivoltaics: For Sustainable Agribusiness’. This project idea targets a more efficient method of work for farmers, in which they benefit from a source of commission, as well as providing fresh produce and sustainable solar energy to Maltese citizens. This project would involve the hoisting of structures at around 13 feet above agricultural land, on which solar panels could be structured and connected to the national grid. This height above the ground would help avoid the creation of an eyesore at ground level. as well as allowing for tractors and other machinery to easily be used under said structure. While providing renewable energy to the government, this would also help keep crops, such as berries, fresh and protected from weather extremes, therefore encouraging their natural growth. This would, in turn, help in lowering the percentage of imported fruits and vegetables that are kept fresh via the use of multiple fertilisers and preservatives, which can be of harm to humans. Due to the urgency regarding climate change, the initial conversations would be started this very summer, with the plan being for the initial structures to be implemented by the year 2028, and a 50% cut in imported berries observed by the year 2035, before possibly being able to move onto other local produce.