RedSea, an innovative agtech company whose pioneering technologies enable commercial farming in hot environments, has announced that its greenhouse facility in the UAE is up and running.
The greenhouse facility is powered by 2,000 square meters of elevated solar panels used as agricultural photovoltaics, with protected crops grown under the panels and insulation mesh – demonstrating the full capabilities of RedSea’s sustainable technology.
Technology at the new Abu Dhabi facility – the first of its kind in the country – will help diversify food sources and stimulate the region’s agri-food sector.
The commissioning was the first time UAE audiences got to see RedSea’s cutting-edge, sustainable farming technology. It said the one-hectare demonstration facility will drive wider adoption of these technologies in the UAE, benefiting local growers and having a significant impact on Abu Dhabi’s agro-ecosystem.
RedSea’s facility draws a direct side-by-side comparison of the roots of its rooftop technology with technology currently in use in the GCC.
Its technologies include iyris insulated low-cost roofs, a climate-controlled recirculating deep water culture system for berry growing, and a brine evaporative cooling system that operates without desalination. RedSea’s climate-adaptive IoT sensors – allowing for remote monitoring and greenhouse management – will serve as the management system.
It added that the project won HSBC’s Business Vitality Award for innovative water management and efficiency.
Speaking at the launch, CEO Ryan Lefers said: “We are delighted that UAE audiences were able to get a first look at our award-winning technology that is transforming controlled environment and open field farming around the world. Local growers have a clear of the road use this technology to generate higher yields, operate more sustainably and be more profitable.”
RedSea’s focus on resource and food scarcity supports the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy to promote food security through advanced agricultural technologies. With climate change and global food shortages on the rise, the UAE and the Middle East are taking the lead in addressing these major issues ahead of COP 28.
“Globally, food production is often unsustainable and highly vulnerable to climate change. Our technology – which addresses these issues directly – is a solution born in the deserts of the Middle East and already used in available in hot climates,” he noted.
Miles Thornhill, head of HSBC’s corporate banking team and head of commercial banking in the UAE, said: “We are committed to helping achieve a net-zero global economy, and this includes channeling investment into sustainable projects.”
“Sustainable finance plays an important role in allowing AgTech companies like RedSea to scale and demonstrate solutions that help build a better future,” he said.-TradeArabia News Service