UbiQD and Heliene Initiate Joint Development of Agrivoltaic Modules for Greenhouses

EIN Agrivoltaic 400

March 24, 2022

Image: Quantum dot glass prototype held aloft by a UbiQD Engineer

UbiQD, Inc., a deep tech company specializing in nanomaterials innovation, and Heliene Inc., a customer-first provider of North American made solar modules, has announced the initiation of a joint development agreement to embed UbiGro® sunlight optimizing technology in Heliene’s photovoltaic modules.

 “As energy costs continue to rise, the controlled environment agriculture industry will have to utilize energy sources more efficiently,” said Martin Pochtaruk, CEO of Heliene. “Greenhouses and photovoltaics generate hundreds of billions of dollars of value from sunlight, and our plan is that with our agrivoltaic modules, the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts.”

‘Agrivoltaics’ is an emerging agriculture product category at the intersection of food and energy, wherein crop production and electricity production occur simultaneously and in the same area. For a greenhouse, this means allowing a large portion of the sunlight to pass through to the crop below, with the remaining portion being converted into solar power. This tradeoff between sunlight for crop growth and sunlight for electricity generation motivates investment in light spectrum optimization in order to grow plants as efficiently as possible. Optimizing the quality of sunlight is exactly what UbiGro technology is designed to do, by converting direct UV/blue light from the sun’s spectrum into an orange/red glow that improves plant growth.

 “UbiQD has been developing electricity-generating windows for a number of years, and we offer a line of greenhouse film products for boosting crop yield,” said Hunter McDaniel, Founder and CEO of UbiQD. “What I love most about this partnership with Heliene, is that it leverages our combined expertise and taps our passion for having a positive impact at the intersection of agriculture and energy.”

Source

Related Articles


Latest Articles


Changing Scene

  • Federal Investment to Add 989 New Montreal Homes

    Federal Investment to Add 989 New Montreal Homes

    November 18, 2024 The federal government is providing nearly $364 million to help build 989 new homes in Montreal. The announcement took place at 5200 rue de la Savane, in Montreal, which received $100 million dollars through the Apartment Loan Construction Program (ACLP) to build 303 homes and will be operated by Olymbec. This rental building, named Lynk, is designed to… Read More…

  • ABB and NIEDAX Group Announce Completion of Joint Venture with the Formation of Abnex Inc.

    ABB and NIEDAX Group Announce Completion of Joint Venture with the Formation of Abnex Inc.

    November 18, 2024 ABB completed the previously announced 50/50 joint venture with Niedax Group. The Abnex Inc. joint venture (JV) will broaden solutions and advance opportunities in the rapidly growing North American cable management market. Integrating engineering and manufacturing capabilities of ABB’s Installation Products Division with Niedax Group will enable the newly formed company to deliver a… Read More…

  • Ontario Building More Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

    Ontario Building More Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

    November 18, 2024 The Ontario government is building over 1,300 new electric vehicle (EV) charging ports in small and medium-sized communities, marking a major milestone in the province’s plan to increase access to EV chargers outside of large urban centres and support the electrification of transportation across the province. As the province continues to see… Read More…

  • Ontario Investing Over $74 Million Through Next Round of Skills Development Fund Capital Stream

    Ontario Investing Over $74 Million Through Next Round of Skills Development Fund Capital Stream

    November 18, 2024 The Ontario government is launching the second round of its Skills Development Fund (SDF) Capital Stream starting November 29, with over $74 million in available funding to build, expand and retrofit training facilities for workers in the trades, including construction, manufacturing technology and health care. The government is also investing nearly $5 million from the first… Read More…