Latest news with #UniversityofSheffield
Zawya
16 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
How Oman is embracing agrivoltaics for a sustainable future?
Beneath the bright Omani sun, a quiet transformation is taking root. Fields that once lay exposed to the harsh desert heat may soon be shaded by rows of solar panels - not as a replacement for agriculture, but as its ally. This is agrivoltaics: a forward-thinking approach where farming and solar energy generation go hand in hand, promising a new model of land use for arid regions like Oman. Agrivoltaics - the practice of combining solar panels with agriculture on the same land - was first proposed in 1981 by German physicist Adolf Goetzberger as a solution to the competing demands for land, food, and energy (AgTech Digest, 2024). By shading crops and reducing water loss while generating electricity, agrivoltaics is particularly suited to arid, sunny regions like Oman. Globally, the market is expanding rapidly: Global Market Insights (2024) valued the agrivoltaics sector at $6.3 billion, forecasting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6% through 2034. A UK-based study by the University of Sheffield (2024) further highlighted that deploying agrivoltaics on 20,272 km² of high-grade farmland could generate around 338 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, while maintaining agricultural output - a model with clear potential for countries seeking sustainable land use. For Oman, where Vision 2040 prioritises both sustainable agriculture and renewable energy, agrivoltaics offers an opportunity to make its land work smarter: producing food, conserving water, and harvesting energy from the sun. The concept is simple but powerful. By combining agriculture with solar installations, land can serve two purposes at once; growing crops while generating clean electricity. The panels provide shade that reduces evaporation and heat stress for plants, while the ground below helps cool the panels, improving their efficiency. It's an elegant solution to some of the most pressing challenges facing Oman today: water scarcity, food security, and the urgent need to expand renewable energy. Earlier this year, Oman announced plans for its first large-scale agrivoltaics project: a 300-acre agri-solar park backed by an investment of over RO 61 million. Singapore's V-Plus Agritech will contribute advanced technologies, including vertical aquaponics and circular farming systems. The project supports Oman's Vision 2040, which calls for economic diversification and greater sustainability across all sectors. Few countries are better suited to agrivoltaics than Oman. The Sultanate enjoys year-round sunshine — an abundant natural resource that remains underutilized. At the same time, water is precious, and conventional agriculture faces rising challenges due to climate change. In this context, the ability to grow food while producing clean power and conserving water represents a major opportunity. The country's recent momentum in solar energy supports this path. By the end of 2025, Oman's small and mid-scale solar capacity is expected to reach about 130 MW, and the launch of giga-scale solar projects signals growing ambition. Integrating agrivoltaics into this mix could multiply the benefits, generating local jobs, enhancing food resilience, and positioning Oman as a regional leader in sustainable land use. For Oman, agrivoltaics is more than a technological innovation — it's part of a broader journey toward a balanced, sustainable future where land works harder and smarter for the people who depend on it. If successful, the first projects could pave the way for more; transforming the landscape of farming, energy, and opportunity in the years to come.
Observer
a day ago
- Science
- Observer
How Oman is embracing agrivoltaics for a sustainable future
Beneath the bright Omani sun, a quiet transformation is taking root. Fields that once lay exposed to the harsh desert heat may soon be shaded by rows of solar panels - not as a replacement for agriculture, but as its ally. This is agrivoltaics: a forward-thinking approach where farming and solar energy generation go hand in hand, promising a new model of land use for arid regions like Oman. Agrivoltaics - the practice of combining solar panels with agriculture on the same land - was first proposed in 1981 by German physicist Adolf Goetzberger as a solution to the competing demands for land, food, and energy (AgTech Digest, 2024). By shading crops and reducing water loss while generating electricity, agrivoltaics is particularly suited to arid, sunny regions like Oman. Globally, the market is expanding rapidly: Global Market Insights (2024) valued the agrivoltaics sector at $6.3 billion, forecasting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6% through 2034. A UK-based study by the University of Sheffield (2024) further highlighted that deploying agrivoltaics on 20,272 km² of high-grade farmland could generate around 338 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, while maintaining agricultural output - a model with clear potential for countries seeking sustainable land use. For Oman, where Vision 2040 prioritises both sustainable agriculture and renewable energy, agrivoltaics offers an opportunity to make its land work smarter: producing food, conserving water, and harvesting energy from the sun. The concept is simple but powerful. By combining agriculture with solar installations, land can serve two purposes at once; growing crops while generating clean electricity. The panels provide shade that reduces evaporation and heat stress for plants, while the ground below helps cool the panels, improving their efficiency. It's an elegant solution to some of the most pressing challenges facing Oman today: water scarcity, food security, and the urgent need to expand renewable energy. Earlier this year, Oman announced plans for its first large-scale agrivoltaics project: a 300-acre agri-solar park backed by an investment of over RO 61 million. Singapore's V-Plus Agritech will contribute advanced technologies, including vertical aquaponics and circular farming systems. The project supports Oman's Vision 2040, which calls for economic diversification and greater sustainability across all sectors. Few countries are better suited to agrivoltaics than Oman. The Sultanate enjoys year-round sunshine — an abundant natural resource that remains underutilized. At the same time, water is precious, and conventional agriculture faces rising challenges due to climate change. In this context, the ability to grow food while producing clean power and conserving water represents a major opportunity. The country's recent momentum in solar energy supports this path. By the end of 2025, Oman's small and mid-scale solar capacity is expected to reach about 130 MW, and the launch of giga-scale solar projects signals growing ambition. Integrating agrivoltaics into this mix could multiply the benefits, generating local jobs, enhancing food resilience, and positioning Oman as a regional leader in sustainable land use. For Oman, agrivoltaics is more than a technological innovation — it's part of a broader journey toward a balanced, sustainable future where land works harder and smarter for the people who depend on it. If successful, the first projects could pave the way for more; transforming the landscape of farming, energy, and opportunity in the years to come.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers sound alarm as concerning phenomenon threatens water supply for more than 90 million people: 'The situation is serious'
The glaciers of the Andes Mountains are melting at alarming rates, which could lead to permanent water loss, threatening the water supply of over 90 million people, Cosmos magazine reported. Scientists at the University of Sheffield, England, who have been studying the reduction of Andes glaciers, found that the glaciers have been receding at a rate of 0.7 meters (about 2.3 feet) per year, as relayed by That is 35% quicker than the global average. Burning dirty energy sources releases harmful heat-trapping gases, such as carbon and methane, that contribute to rising global temperatures and melting glaciers. Warmer temperatures also mean that during the region's wet season (typically around December to April), the precipitation that falls is rain and less snowfall, resulting in less snowpack on the glaciers. The Andes mountain communities depend on snowmelt runoff during the dry season (around May to October) for freshwater supply, which is threatened by rising global temperatures and the subsequent lack of snow. This loss is compounded by the shrinking glaciers, which lead to permanent water losses in the region. While the immediate, short-term effect of melting glaciers is an increase in water flow from the mountains to the rivers, that water supply runs off freely to the lower areas of the mountains. Unusually fast-melting snow could become dangerous for nearby mountain communities, which may experience destructive flooding downstream, per the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Without water catchment systems to catch and store the melting snow runoff, mountain communities may see their fresh water supply decrease and permanently disappear from the region. Communities with fewer resources to build these water catchment systems have no agency in securing their water supply. As the glaciers melt, too, the darker rock face on the mountains becomes exposed, absorbing more of the sun's heat, which becomes a hopeless cycle for rapid glacier melting. Scientists have also studied the harmful effects of glacier melting on the environment. For example, melting glaciers release the ancient methane gas trapped in underground reservoirs in the Arctic, which were capped by permafrost glaciers. As the glaciers melt, the trapped gas gets released back into the atmosphere, acting as a bubble, trapping heat on the planet. How often do you worry about the quality of your drinking water? Never Sometimes Often Always Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Morocco recently celebrated a remarkable recovery from significant water supply loss in the nation. Taking advantage of the increased rainfall in the region, Morocco built 130 dams to increase the nation's water storage capacity — which has since increased by 700%. Communities living by the ocean may soon be able to take advantage of the water supply near them. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign developed a new electrode for battery-based water desalination, which may make water desalination more efficient and viable for coastal communities. "The situation is serious, and it will take global cooperation to tackle climate change and make a meaningful difference for the communities around the world most vulnerable from the effects of climate change," said Dr. Jeremy Ely, senior lecturer at the University of Sheffield's School of Geography and Planning, per Cosmos magazine. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists create advanced new tool to monitor emerging threat: 'Crucial in the fight'
Machine learning technology is helping fill a key gap in surveillance of the most valuable trees in Peru's rainforests. The University of Sheffield, World Resources Institute, and Peru's independent forestry commission revealed the remarkable impact of their collaboration's use of the tech in a news release. It identified up to 37% of all reported illegal logging in 2023-24 and led to the seizure of 41,000 cubic meters (134,514 cubic feet) of illicit wood. The coverage of the technology exceeds 1.8 million hectares of rainforest, and the value of the recaptured wood amounts to over $19 million. Where the tech really shines is in picking up on selective logging, a technique that poses an extreme challenge for surveillance. Instead of cutting down forests wholesale, selective loggers choose the most lucrative trees while leaving the rest in place. Without special tools, it can be hard to spot the illegal practice from the air. Meanwhile, it is prohibitively costly to survey by foot, and both costly and dangerous to do so with drones. To fill this gap, University of Sheffield scientists engineered the technology with forest data from the World Resources Institute that could pick up individual tree loss and patterns of selective logging. "Until now satellite imaging has been unable to reliably identify the much more subtle signs of selective logging and forest degradation, which is widespread and until recently hard to police and manage," Robert Bryant of Sheffield University explained. Peru's rainforests are renowned for their incredible biodiversity, which is under threat by deforestation. In one example, multiple big name corporations such as Nestlé and Kellogg's have been accused of doing business with a palm oil supplier that is contributing to deforestation. Meanwhile, there is concern that Peruvian laws are weakening and opening the door for more deforestation in the name of economic opportunities. It could all come with a heavy toll on the planet, as rainforests play a major role in absorbing heat-trapping gases. The University of Sheffield team says the new tech allows Peruvian officials to monitor illegal activities in close to real time. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. That facilitates targeted follow-up surveillance with drones, raids, and inspections of dubious lumber. The tech can also uncover bait-and-switch operations wherein wood of a protected area is passed off as that from legal but unharvested areas. The team envisions the tools extending beyond Peru, both in impact and in future applications. "Widespread illegal harvesting of Peru's rainforest is not just a disaster for Peru," University of Sheffield's Chris Bousfield concluded. "The whole world relies on these rainforests to store carbon and support biodiversity, and they are crucial in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss." Bousfield believes the tools can be rolled out "in developing a system for effectively monitoring forest degradation and selective logging across the world." Given the scope of global deforestation, all hands on deck will be needed to accomplish that goal. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Daily Record
15-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Record
Stunning Scottish isle is only place in Britain where prehistoric mummies have been found
The isle is home to the site of Cladh Hallan, where rare Bronze Age burial discoveries reshaped British archaeology The captivating Scottish island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides holds a unique distinction in British archaeology. It is the only location in Great Britain where evidence of prehistoric mummification has ever been discovered, centring around the ancient site of Cladh Hallan. Archaeological work at the Cladh Hallan Roundhouses, particularly rescue excavations conducted as recently as 2002, unearthed findings that transformed understanding of burial practices in the Bronze Age. A team of archaeologists, including those from the University of Sheffield, uncovered skeletal remains buried beneath the floor of a roundhouse. Though soft tissue had long decomposed, scientific tests revealed these bodies had undergone deliberate preservation. Analysis, including tests carried out by the University of Manchester, confirmed the remains were mummified. The technique involved placing the bodies in a peat bog shortly after death, a process that lasted between six to eighteen months, according to information from Explore South Uist. This bog environment caused distinctive changes to the bone structure and allowed some soft tissue to survive, enabling the skeletons to remain articulated for millennia. Experts describe this as an entirely local innovation, unlike contemporary methods seen in Ancient Egypt. One of the most remarkable findings was the composite nature of the bodies. DNA tests showed that some burials were deliberately created from the parts of multiple different individuals, arranged to appear as single bodies. For instance, one burial, initially thought to be female, was composed of parts from three people and included a male skull, according to the BBC. Another example described a composite skeleton where the head and jaw came from different individuals than the rest of the body, with death dates centuries apart, notes The Megalithic Portal. The motivations behind this complex practice remain a profound mystery. Evidence indicates the mummified bodies were not buried immediately but were kept above ground for hundreds of years, potentially between 300 and 500 years after death, before being buried under the houses, according to the BBC. Theories suggest this could be linked to religious beliefs, ancestor worship, or the idea that the mummies played an active role in the community, perhaps offering spiritual guidance. The remains were found within the foundations of a row of unusual Bronze Age terraced roundhouses. They were placed in the common crouch burial position, and mummification may have facilitated positioning the bodies so tightly. The discoveries at Cladh Hallan have led archaeologists to investigate other crouch burials across Britain for signs of mummification. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Early results from a sample in Cambridge have shown promising indications of preservation, according to the BBC. Experts believe more instances of deliberate mummification in Britain may exist, having previously been overlooked. Today, the Cladh Hallan site near Daliburgh on South Uist can be visited. The stone outlines of reconstructed roundhouses are visible within the former sand quarry area. While only a small portion has been excavated, walking over the unexcavated mound gives an idea of the settlement's original size. Getting to the site involves following a sandy track west from Daliburgh. Visitors should be aware that walking on the machair carries a risk of twisting ankles in rabbit burrows.
