Designers at Barcelona-based Forward Thinking Architecture have put together an eye-catching proposal for a solar-powered floating farm to grow food and raise fish near some of the world’s biggest cities. The concept leans on vertical farming technology, a new-age agricultural method of growing food in soil-less greenhouses.
Founding architect Javier Ponce at Forward Thinking told The Huffington Post Canada that a floating solar farm offers an alternative avenue to feed coastal cities in a sustainable way.
A floating farm anchored near major urban centers could make some foods more readily available to those areas — curbing the need for some long-distance imports.
Designers estimate the solar-powered farm could grow upwards of 8,152 tons of vegetables and 1,703 tons of fish annually in a facility 200 x 350 meters wide.
The lower level would be fish-farm focused, equipped with a desalination plant, water access points, wave barriers and protection. A project description also notes on-site processing and packaging areas.
Powered by rooftop solar panels, the second level is designed to be an automated pesticide-free hydroponic greenhouse to grow leafy greens and other vegetables.