Introduction Dubai’s Modern Agriculture
Dubai’s modern agriculture is a testament to the city’s commitment to sustainable development and food security. In a region known for its arid climate and limited arable land,
Dubai has embraced innovative agricultural practices to overcome these challenges. The city has invested heavily in vertical farming, hydroponics, and controlled-environment agriculture to maximize crop yields while minimizing water usage. This forward-thinking approach not only addresses local food needs but also positions Dubai as a global leader in the adoption of cutting-edge agricultural technologies.
One notable aspect of Dubai’s modern agriculture is the use of vertical farms, where crops are cultivated in stacked layers within controlled environments. This method optimizes space and allows for year-round production, unaffected by external weather conditions. Hydroponics, another key component, involves growing plants without soil, using nutrient-rich water solutions. This technique conserves water resources compared to traditional farming methods, a crucial consideration in a region where water scarcity is a significant concern.
Dubai’s commitment to sustainable agriculture extends beyond technology adoption. The city has implemented policies to promote local food production and reduce dependency on imports. Initiatives like rooftop gardens, community farming projects, and educational programs contribute to a more resilient and self-sufficient food ecosystem. Dubai’s modern agriculture not only addresses immediate food needs but also sets a precedent for other urban centers grappling with the challenges of feeding growing populations in a resource-constrained world.
Dubai’s Vertical farms
Dubai’s embrace of vertical farming represents a pioneering shift in agricultural practices, particularly in the face of challenging environmental conditions. Vertical farms are innovative structures where crops are cultivated in stacked layers, often in controlled environments that optimize factors such as light, temperature, and humidity. In a city where arable land is scarce and the climate is arid, vertical farming offers a sustainable solution by maximizing space and resource efficiency.
One of the key advantages of vertical farming in Dubai is its ability to operate independently of external weather conditions. By providing a controlled environment, these farms ensure a consistent and reliable crop production throughout the year. This is crucial in a region where extreme temperatures and water scarcity pose significant challenges to traditional agriculture. Additionally, vertical farming enables the cultivation of a wide variety of crops in a relatively small footprint, contributing to diversification and local food resilience.
Dubai’s investment in vertical farming aligns with its broader commitment to sustainability. These farms use advanced technologies such as hydroponics and aeroponics, allowing crops to grow without soil and with minimal water consumption. The integration of smart systems further enhances efficiency, enabling precise control over factors like irrigation and nutrient delivery. Through vertical farming, Dubai not only addresses its own food security concerns but also showcases a model for sustainable urban agriculture that can inspire other cities worldwide facing similar challenges.
Vertical Farms Projects in Dubai
1. Badia Farms (Established in 2016)
Over the past several years, Badia Farms has grown into a notable vertical farm in Dubai. Commencing operations in 2016, it utilizes hydroponics and controlled-environment agriculture to cultivate a variety of leafy greens and herbs, showcasing a commitment to sustainability.
2. Smart Acres (Founded in 2019)
A recent addition to Dubai’s vertical farming scene, Smart Acres has been operational since 2019. Focusing on smart and sustainable agricultural practices, the project employs cutting-edge technologies to contribute to local food production while minimizing ecological impact.
3. Vertical Farming at International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) (Integration in 2018)
In recent years, the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in Dubai has integrated vertical farming into its research initiatives. Starting around 2018, ICBA explores the use of saline water and desert land, aiming to pioneer innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture in arid regions.
4. Pegasus Agriculture Group (Active since 2014)
Pegasus Agriculture has been actively involved in vertical farming projects in Dubai since around 2014. Their approach, blending technology and agriculture, aims to create efficient and productive farming systems, contributing significantly to food security in the region.
5. Desert Control Project (Initiated in 2017)
While not exclusively centered on vertical farming, the Desert Control Project in Dubai gained momentum starting around 2017. It focuses on combatting desertification and enhancing agricultural productivity through innovative techniques such as soil conditioning.
These projects underscore Dubai’s ongoing commitment to innovative agricultural practices, with each initiative reflecting the city’s response to challenges through sustainable and forward-thinking solutions over the past decade.
Key Aspects For Vertical Farms in Dubai
1. Climate Adaptation: Vertical farms in Dubai are designed to thrive in the city’s arid climate, utilizing controlled environments to overcome challenges such as high temperatures and water scarcity.
2. Advanced Technologies: The use of cutting-edge technologies like hydroponics, aeroponics, and precision agriculture techniques ensures optimal resource utilization, promoting sustainable and efficient crop growth.
3. Space Efficiency: Vertical farms maximize space utilization by stacking crops vertically, allowing for higher yields in a smaller footprint. This is crucial in a city where available arable land is limited.
4. Year-round Production: The controlled indoor environments of vertical farms enable year-round production, reducing the reliance on seasonal changes and external weather conditions for crop cultivation.
5. Water Conservation: In a region facing water scarcity, vertical farms in Dubai prioritize water efficiency through closed-loop irrigation systems, capturing and reusing water to minimize waste.
6. Crop Variety: Vertical farming allows for the cultivation of a diverse range of crops, promoting agricultural diversification and enhancing food security by reducing dependency on specific types of produce.
7. Smart Automation: Integration of smart technologies and automation ensures precise control over environmental factors, such as lighting, temperature, and nutrient delivery, optimizing conditions for plant growth.
8. Local Food Resilience: By cultivating crops within the city, vertical farms contribute to local food resilience, reducing dependence on external sources and enhancing Dubai’s ability to sustain its population.
9. Educational Initiatives: Many vertical farms in Dubai incorporate educational programs to raise awareness about modern agricultural practices, fostering a deeper understanding of sustainable food production among the community.
10. Global Innovation Hub: Dubai’s investment in vertical farming positions the city as a global hub for agricultural innovation, attracting expertise and serving as a model for other regions seeking sustainable solutions to urban agriculture challenges.
Key Aspects For Vertical Farms in Dubai: Climate Adaptation
Vertical farms in Dubai are designed to thrive in the city’s arid climate, utilizing controlled environments to overcome challenges such as high temperatures and water scarcity.
This adaptation is essential for ensuring year-round productivity and addressing the unique climatic conditions that can impact traditional farming practices. By creating optimal growing conditions indoors, vertical farms minimize the influence of external weather factors, contributing to the sustainability and resilience of agricultural production in Dubai’s challenging climate.
Key Aspects of Vertical Farms in Dubai: Climate Adaptation with Technology Integration
1. Controlled Environments: Vertical farms utilize advanced climate control systems to create optimal growing conditions, mitigating the challenges of Dubai’s arid climate.
2. Smart Sensors: Integration of smart sensors enables real-time monitoring of environmental factors, allowing for precise adjustments to ensure ideal conditions for plant growth.
3. Precision Agriculture: The adoption of precision agriculture techniques enhances resource efficiency by optimizing water usage, a crucial consideration in a region facing water scarcity.
4. Hydroponics and Aeroponics: Vertical farms in Dubai employ hydroponic and aeroponic systems, eliminating the need for soil and maximizing water and nutrient delivery directly to the plants’ roots.
5. Automation: Smart systems automate key processes such as irrigation, nutrient delivery, and climate control, reducing human intervention and ensuring consistent crop production.
6. Optimized Lighting: Advanced lighting systems, often using LED technology, provide tailored light spectrums to support photosynthesis and maximize energy efficiency.
7. Year-Round Productivity: The integration of technology allows vertical farms to operate consistently throughout the year, decoupling production from external weather conditions.
8. Global Positioning: Dubai’s vertical farms, through technology, position themselves as global leaders in innovative urban agriculture practices, influencing similar initiatives worldwide.
These key aspects showcase the synergy of climate adaptation and technology integration in Dubai’s vertical farms, emphasizing sustainability, resource efficiency, and resilience in the face of challenging environmental conditions.
Key Aspects For Vertical Farms in Dubai: Advanced Technologies
1. Hydroponics and Aeroponics: Vertical farms in Dubai leverage advanced hydroponic and aeroponic systems, eliminating the need for soil and optimizing nutrient delivery to plants.
2. Smart Automation: Integration of smart automation systems allows precise control over environmental factors such as lighting, temperature, humidity, irrigation, and nutrient distribution.
3. Precision Farming: The adoption of precision agriculture technologies enhances efficiency by utilizing data-driven insights for optimized resource management and crop cultivation.
4. LED Lighting: Advanced LED lighting systems are employed to provide tailored light spectrums, promoting photosynthesis and maximizing energy efficiency in the absence of natural sunlight.
5. Sensors and Monitoring: Smart sensors monitor real-time conditions, providing continuous feedback for adjustments, ensuring an optimal environment for plant growth.
6. Climate Control Systems: Vertical farms incorporate sophisticated climate control systems to create and maintain ideal temperature and humidity levels, independent of external weather conditions.
7. Vertical Growing Structures: Innovative vertical farming structures optimize space utilization, allowing for increased crop yields within limited urban areas.
8. Data Analytics: The integration of data analytics enables continuous improvement through the analysis of production metrics, resource usage, and overall operational efficiency.
These advanced technologies collectively contribute to the success of vertical farming in Dubai, enabling sustainable and efficient agricultural practices in the face of challenging environmental factors.
Key Aspects For Vertical Farms in Dubai: Space Efficiency
1. Vertical Growing Structures: Innovative vertical farming structures optimize land use by stacking crops vertically, allowing for increased production within limited urban spaces.
2. Stacked Growing Systems: Utilizing stacked growing systems maximizes the use of available space, creating a more efficient and productive footprint for cultivation.
3. High-Density Planting: Vertical farms in Dubai implement high-density planting methods, ensuring that each unit of vertical space is utilized to its full potential for crop cultivation.
4. Compact Footprint: The design of vertical farms prioritizes a compact footprint, making them suitable for urban environments where space is at a premium.
5. Modular Design: Many vertical farms use a modular design, allowing for scalability and flexibility in adapting to different spatial constraints and agricultural needs.
6. Vertical Aeroponics Towers: Specific vertical farming systems, such as aeroponic towers, enable efficient use of vertical space by suspending plants in a nutrient-rich mist, optimizing spatial utilization.
7. Hydroponic Systems: By employing hydroponic systems that don’t rely on soil, vertical farms eliminate the need for extensive horizontal space, further enhancing overall space efficiency.
8. Year-Round Production: The space-efficient design of vertical farms allows for consistent and year-round production, reducing the need for vast expanses of land for seasonal cultivation.
These aspects underscore how vertical farms in Dubai efficiently utilize space, making them well-suited for urban environments and contributing to sustainable and resilient agricultural practices.
Key Aspects For Vertical Farms in Dubai: Year-round Production
1. Controlled Environments: Vertical farms in Dubai use controlled environments, allowing for consistent temperature, humidity, and lighting conditions throughout the year, independent of external weather fluctuations.
2. Indoor Farming Systems: The adoption of indoor farming systems ensures that crops are shielded from the effects of seasonal changes, enabling year-round cultivation.
3. Artificial Lighting: Advanced lighting systems, including LED technology, provide artificial light spectrums to support photosynthesis, allowing crops to thrive even during periods of limited natural sunlight.
4. Climate-Independent Cultivation: Vertical farms decouple production from external climate conditions, ensuring a continuous and reliable supply of crops irrespective of Dubai’s arid climate challenges.
5. Hydroponic and Aeroponic Systems: These advanced cultivation methods, which are often employed in vertical farms, facilitate precise control over nutrient delivery, further optimizing conditions for year-round growth.
6. Automated Systems: Smart automation systems regulate irrigation, nutrient distribution, and other essential processes, contributing to the consistent and efficient year-round operation of vertical farms.
7. Crop Rotation Strategies: Vertical farms implement effective crop rotation strategies within their controlled environments, preventing soil depletion and contributing to sustained, year-round production.
8. Strategic Planting Schedules: Vertical farms utilize strategic planting schedules to maximize space and ensure a continuous harvest cycle, enhancing overall productivity throughout the year.
These aspects collectively highlight how vertical farms in Dubai prioritize year-round production, ensuring a steady and reliable supply of fresh produce irrespective of external seasonal variations.
Key Aspects For Vertical Farms in Dubai: Water Conservation
1. Hydroponic Systems: Vertical farms in Dubai often employ hydroponic systems, which use a nutrient-rich water solution to cultivate plants without the need for soil. This method is inherently water-efficient.
2. Closed-Loop Irrigation: Many vertical farms utilize closed-loop irrigation systems, capturing and recycling water within the system. This approach minimizes water wastage and ensures efficient use of this precious resource.
3. Aeroponics: Some vertical farms incorporate aeroponic systems, which involve growing plants in an air or mist environment. This method uses significantly less water compared to traditional soil-based cultivation.
4. Precision Irrigation: Advanced technologies enable precise control over irrigation, delivering water directly to the plant roots when needed. This reduces excess water usage and optimizes resource efficiency.
5. Water-Efficient Crop Selection: Vertical farms in Dubai often prioritize the cultivation of water-efficient crops, choosing varieties that require minimal water for healthy growth.
6. Smart Sensors: Integration of smart sensors monitors soil moisture levels, enabling real-time adjustments to irrigation schedules based on actual plant needs, contributing to water conservation.
7. Drip Irrigation: Vertical farms may implement drip irrigation systems, delivering water directly to the base of plants. This targeted approach minimizes water loss through evaporation and runoff.
8. Water Recycling Practices: Beyond closed-loop systems, some vertical farms in Dubai adopt comprehensive water recycling practices, treating and reusing water to further reduce overall consumption.
These water conservation measures underscore the commitment of vertical farms in Dubai to sustainable and efficient agricultural practices in a region facing water scarcity.
Key Aspects For Vertical Farms in Dubai: Crop Variety
1. Crop Diversity: Vertical farms in Dubai emphasize cultivating a diverse range of crops, including leafy greens, herbs, and other vegetables. This diversity contributes to food security and local resilience.
2. Year-Round Availability: The controlled environments of vertical farms allow for the year-round production of various crops, reducing the dependence on seasonal availability and external sources.
3. Efficient Space Utilization: Vertical farming systems optimize space, enabling the cultivation of multiple crop varieties within a compact footprint, contributing to agricultural diversification.
4. Tailored Growing Conditions: Advanced technologies in vertical farms permit the customization of environmental factors, creating conditions suitable for a wide variety of crops with different growth requirements.
5. Specialty Crops: Some vertical farms in Dubai focus on cultivating specialty crops that might be challenging to grow in traditional outdoor settings, adding uniqueness to the local produce market.
6. Localized Food Production: Growing a variety of crops within the city minimizes the need for long-distance transportation, promoting fresher and locally sourced produce for consumers.
7. Continuous Innovation: Vertical farms in Dubai are often at the forefront of agricultural innovation, experimenting with new crop varieties and introducing novel species to diversify their production.
8. Community Preferences: The selection of crop varieties is sometimes influenced by local consumer preferences, ensuring that vertical farms cater to the tastes and demands of the community.
These aspects highlight how vertical farms in Dubai contribute to crop variety, fostering a resilient and diverse agricultural ecosystem within the urban landscape.
Key Aspects For Vertical Farms in Dubai: Smart Automation
1. Precision Control: Vertical farms leverage smart automation systems to precisely control environmental factors such as lighting, temperature, humidity, and nutrient delivery.
2. Irrigation Management: Automation regulates irrigation schedules, ensuring that crops receive the optimal amount of water needed for healthy growth while minimizing water wastage.
3. Nutrient Distribution: Automated systems monitor and control the distribution of nutrients, providing plants with essential elements at the right times to enhance overall crop health and yield.
4. Monitoring Sensors: Smart sensors continuously monitor various parameters, including soil moisture levels and plant health, enabling real-time adjustments to cultivation conditions.
5. Data-Driven Decision Making: Automation integrates data analytics to make informed decisions, improving overall operational efficiency and contributing to sustainable farming practices.
6. Reduced Labor Dependency: Automated systems reduce the dependency on manual labor, allowing for streamlined operations and ensuring consistent and efficient production.
7. Energy Optimization: Smart automation helps optimize energy usage by adjusting lighting and climate control systems based on real-time data, enhancing resource efficiency.
8. Remote Monitoring: Automation enables remote monitoring and control of vertical farm operations, providing flexibility and accessibility for managing the cultivation environment.
These aspects underscore how smart automation enhances the efficiency, precision, and sustainability of vertical farming practices in Dubai.
Key Aspects For Vertical Farms in Dubai: Local Food Resilience
1. Regional Sustainability: Vertical farms contribute to local food resilience by cultivating crops within the city, reducing dependence on external sources and promoting regional sustainability.
2. Reduced Transportation: Growing food locally minimizes the need for extensive transportation, decreasing the environmental impact and ensuring fresher produce for consumers.
3. Short Supply Chains: Vertical farms create short and efficient supply chains, connecting local producers directly with consumers, enhancing the resilience of the local food system.
4. Rapid Response to Demand: Localized farming allows for quicker response to changes in consumer demand, ensuring a more agile and adaptable food supply system.
5. Diversification of Food Sources: By cultivating a variety of crops locally, vertical farms contribute to the diversification of food sources, enhancing the resilience of the local diet.
6. Climate-Adapted Agriculture: Vertical farms in Dubai adapt to the city’s climate challenges, contributing to local food resilience by providing a stable source of fresh produce irrespective of external weather conditions.
7. Community Engagement: Vertical farms often engage with the local community, building trust and partnerships that strengthen the resilience of the entire food ecosystem.
8. Educational Initiatives: Some vertical farms integrate educational programs to raise awareness about local food production, fostering a sense of community responsibility and resilience.
These aspects highlight how vertical farms in Dubai play a crucial role in building local food resilience, creating a more robust and sustainable food supply system within the city.
Key Aspects For Vertical Farms in Dubai: Educational Initiatives
1. Public Awareness: Vertical farms often engage in educational initiatives to increase public awareness about modern agricultural practices, sustainable food production, and the importance of local farming.
2. School Programs: Some vertical farms collaborate with schools to develop educational programs, exposing students to urban agriculture and fostering an understanding of where food comes from.
3. Workshops and Tours: Educational workshops and farm tours provide the community with firsthand experiences, promoting a deeper understanding of vertical farming technologies and practices.
4. Sustainable Practices: Vertical farms use educational initiatives to highlight their commitment to sustainability, educating the public on resource-efficient farming methods and environmental benefits.
5. Community Engagement: Educational programs encourage community engagement, fostering a sense of connection and responsibility toward local food production and environmental stewardship.
6. Technology Literacy: Vertical farms contribute to technology literacy by showcasing the integration of advanced agricultural technologies, inspiring interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
7. Agriculture Education Centers: Some vertical farms establish dedicated education centers to serve as hubs for learning about innovative farming methods, sustainability, and urban agriculture.
8. Collaboration with Universities: Collaborating with universities allows vertical farms to contribute to agricultural research and education, promoting knowledge exchange and innovation in the field.
These aspects highlight how educational initiatives by vertical farms in Dubai play a vital role in promoting community awareness, sustainability, and fostering a deeper connection between the public and local food production.
Key Aspects For Vertical Farms in Dubai: Global Innovation
1. Technological Advancements: Vertical farms in Dubai drive global innovation by adopting and showcasing cutting-edge agricultural technologies, influencing advancements in urban farming practices worldwide.
2. Research Collaboration: Collaborations with international research institutions and agricultural organizations contribute to the global knowledge pool, fostering innovation and best practices in vertical farming.
3. Sustainable Solutions: Dubai’s vertical farms pioneer sustainable solutions for urban agriculture, setting an example for other cities globally and inspiring the adoption of environmentally friendly farming practices.
4. Knowledge Sharing: Vertical farms in Dubai actively participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives, disseminating insights and lessons learned to contribute to the global discourse on sustainable food production.
5. Influence on Industry Standards: The innovative approaches taken by Dubai’s vertical farms influence the development of industry standards, encouraging the global adoption of efficient and sustainable farming methods.
6. Global Partnerships: Establishing partnerships with international entities and agricultural experts facilitates the exchange of ideas, technologies, and methodologies, fostering a global network of innovation in vertical farming.
7. Pilot Projects: Dubai’s vertical farms serve as successful pilot projects, offering valuable data and experiences that can be applied globally to enhance the efficiency and productivity of urban agriculture.
8. Showcase for International Collaboration: Dubai positions itself as a hub for international collaboration in agricultural innovation, welcoming global partnerships and contributing to the evolution of urban farming practices on a global scale.
These aspects highlight how vertical farms in Dubai contribute to global innovation in urban agriculture, influencing practices, and fostering collaboration to address the challenges of sustainable food production worldwide.
The advantage of vertical farming in Dubai
The main advantage of vertical farming is its exceptional space efficiency. By utilizing a vertical stack or layer system, vertical farms maximize the use of available space, making them particularly well-suited for urban environments with limited land. This innovative approach not only addresses the challenge of land scarcity but also offers several additional benefits, including increased crop yields, year-round production, resource efficiency, and the promotion of local food resilience.
Vertical farming emerges as a transformative solution, contributing to sustainable agriculture and providing a reliable source of fresh produce in densely populated urban areas.
Conclusion Vertical Farms in Dubai
Vertical farms in Dubai stand at the forefront of agricultural innovation, addressing the unique challenges posed by the city’s arid climate and rapid urbanization.
These farms showcase a commitment to sustainability, resource efficiency, and local food resilience. By integrating advanced technologies such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and smart automation, Dubai’s vertical farms exemplify a harmonious blend of environmental adaptability and cutting-edge farming practices.
The emphasis on space efficiency, year-round production, water conservation, and diversified crop varieties underscores the multifaceted approach these farms take to secure a stable and resilient local food supply. Educational initiatives further contribute to community awareness, fostering a deeper connection between residents and the intricacies of modern urban agriculture.
Dubai’s vertical farms not only serve as a model for sustainable food production within the city but also contribute to global innovation in urban farming. Through collaborations, knowledge-sharing, and the influence on industry standards, these farms extend their impact beyond city borders, inspiring advancements in agricultural practices worldwide. As Dubai positions itself as a hub for international collaboration in agricultural innovation, the success of vertical farms reflects a promising future for sustainable urban agriculture in the face of evolving global food challenges.
https://www.exaputra.com/2023/12/vertical-farms-in-dubai.html
ECO TLP Brings Concrete Foundations to Floating Wind
Nicole Johnson Murphy, CEO of ECO TLP, and Gordon Jackson join to discuss concrete floating wind foundations, production-line construction, and markets from Hawaii to Japan.
Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly newsletter on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on YouTube, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us!
Welcome to Uptime Spotlight, shining Light on Wind. Energy’s brightest innovators. This is the progress powering tomorrow.
Allen Hall: Offshore wind obviously is a big deal right now. There’s a lot of, uh, countries looking at it and investigating it, doing it, uh, but not really at scale yet. And this is where ECO TLP comes in and. Nicole, let’s just start there with a background. What problem were you trying to solve when you started Eco TLP?
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: Yeah, so, so we were designing for, uh, a site off of Hawaii in 2011, uh, for the Hico RFP. And so we were designing for 300 meter water depth from the beginning. Um, so we were always trying to find a way to work with the ports, with the vessel, with the infrastructure that was existing off Hawaii. And with, and that worked with Jones Act vessels.
So we were always trying to meet that [00:01:00] requirement with, you know, and meet the cost, try to, we saw there were much tighter margins in offshore wind than in oil and gas, for example, at that water depth. So we’re trying to find something that was cost effective.
Allen Hall: Next question, obviously is what makes those deep water foundations so difficult?
Gordon Jackson: Well, it’s the water depth, uh, primarily, um, you know, uh, you need to put foundations down in, uh, extremely deep water. Um, and they’re gonna be pretty flexible. Um, so you’re trying to control the, the amount of motion that you get at the surface through your, uh, uh, you know, your deep water, uh, facility. So, um, it’s really.
Really that challenge, you know, and, uh, you know, the weight of components through the water depth, like, um, you know, likes of chain would be completely impossible. Um, in 300 meters of water. Uh, you need to use something that’s a little bit lighter. Yeah, to mow you to the, uh, to the seabed
Allen Hall: [00:02:00] because it does seem a little odd just not to make the foundations taller, basically.
More steel drive it down in, we know that process, we understand that process. It works offshore, uh, near shore in a, in a lot of locations. But once you get to what depth as it becomes financially or engineering wise, impossible
Gordon Jackson: for offshore wind, fixed, fixed structures in, I mean, maybe a hundred meters of water are gonna be.
Economic. Um, but you know, they’ll be costly compared to what’s been done now because, uh, you know, of all the extra structure you need for the, uh, for the deeper water. But, uh, I think you’ll see, you know, a crossover between fixed and floating, you know, around the, um, you know, 70 to a hundred meter water mark.
You know, that’s sort the range.
Allen Hall: Well, and that leads to the next question, which is. It’s all financial, right? At some point, the numbers [00:03:00] don’t work. If the cost of foundations don’t come down, especially in fixed bottom offshore or floating offshore, we lose a lot of offshore wind resource. Uh, Nicole can, can you gimme a scale at what we’re missing if we don’t get to a more economical solution for floating offshore?
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: So we’ve estimated for our market for, um, a very deep water market. So we, we now actually have a, a solution that goes across all water depths. So we’re starting with, um, you know, this, this gravity based structure now with, and, and Gordon’s team has been really involved in that, uh, development. And then now we can take that same slip form, concrete cylinder.
Format and take it across all the water depths. So, so we basically can hit every water depth now for a very low cost. It’s a very simple, just, you know, local, regionally designed and built, uh, system. We, we crowdsource the labor and the inputs. Um, and so we [00:04:00] try to, and we also try to give the procurement team of our clients their, you know, an ability to do their job and, and be able to bid out aspects of our design, um, across.
Different vendors. So you always wanna give, in construction, you always wanna give, uh, the procurement team a job to do so they can actually get that price, keep that price down on the installation.
Allen Hall: Yeah, that’s a unique look that eco TOP is putting to this problem. Which is moving away from steel, which is expensive obviously, and it’s sort of difficult to transport at times to a more localized solution, which is concrete.
And thinking about the problem a little bit differently, does that open up a number of doors then in terms of the countries that can get involved in, in floating or near shore, uh, wind projects, but just because you’re driving the cost down?
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: Absolutely. And I’ll let Gordon speak to the ax. He’s worked. His whole career in offshore concrete.
But I think it’s, I think it’s a, it’s a great, it’s the only way we would do it. We actually have shipyards in our companies, our partners own [00:05:00]shipyards, and we, we just would never probably ex try to try to create this many units across the world and scale and steel. We’d only do concrete.
Gordon Jackson: Yeah. My first concrete project sort of broke the mold of how you do, uh, construction of concrete offshore structures.
Uh, it was entirely built within a dry dock and, uh. After we’d gone on and delivered that project, um, that was in the late eighties. I spent the next 10 years, uh, working on projects all around the world, looking at doing the same sort of thing in different countries. Um, because you, you only needed, you know, 10, 12 meters of water, um, at the shore and you could, um, build a structure and um, you know, get it out there in the water.
Um. It really opened up the market for, for offshore concrete structures that, uh, that, uh, first project that we did.
Allen Hall: So using that first project as leverage and knowledge of how to do these things, how much advantage [00:06:00] does concrete give you over steel?
Gordon Jackson: It, it’s difficult to say because it bends country to country.
Um, and, um, you know, quite often you’re competing against, um, you know, steel built in some, uh, very low cost fabrication countries. Um, so if you’re in a high cost, you know, high labor cost country, like, you know, I worked in Australia, um, and um, you know, the labor cost there was extremely high. So concrete wasn’t particularly cheap, but the overall solutions that we came up with, um, were cheap.
You know?
Allen Hall: So does that involve basically like slip forms or how are you, how are you thinking about that problem? Because it’s a huge engineering task and you only learn. By doing it on some level because all great plans, uh, always run into trouble as soon as you try to implement them. So you took all that previous knowledge and then applied it to this problem, and now you have, uh, uh, basically [00:07:00] trimmed or, or slimmed, uh, the design down into, you have a, a very economical model, even in more uneconomical economies because of labor laws and cost of labor and access and those kind of things.
What does that look like now? And what’s your thought process on, Hey, this is what it’s gonna look like? Can we get, uh, keyside, how do we do this and how do we keep this thing simple?
Gordon Jackson: Uh, well the key thing is we’re looking at, uh, a production line approach, which has been, you know, it’s tried and tested for, um, for marine, for marine concrete construction, you know, construction of key walls and um, and you know, the like, um, we’re using exactly that same system.
We’ve just been tried and tested to create a production line of, um, eco TLP units or eco GBS units where we’re building, you know, onshore and where we’re going from station to station, doing a task at each station. [00:08:00] So it’s exactly like a production line, um, you know, that you’re be familiar with and, you know, you load out the completed structure onto a, a barge, um, and then you.
Submerge that barge and your structure floats off and that’s, that’s the real key to getting the, uh, the economy from the, the concrete basis.
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: Yeah, and I’ll say that the opex is really something we focus a lot on because it’s, it’s not just what you’re doing on the CapEx and the development and the port, it’s actually that 30 year lifetime maintenance.
And this is a, when you, we fully submerge our floater, which is basically inert in the ocean. It’s, it’s very eco-friendly with the ocean. There’s no paint, there’s no, you know, maintenance on the floater over the lifespan. You’re, you’re monitoring those, the moorings and the, the weight of any marine, you know, buildup on those moorings and things like that.
But generally it’s a very low maintenance solution and it’s very heavy and kind of like a comfortable car [00:09:00] ride for the turbine. It, it really has slow motions. It, it’s, um, almost like a, you know, a high skyscraper in the water. You know, you’re just the top of that skyscraper is moving a little bit. But you’re, um, you’re really giving it that comfortable, slow ride over its lifetime.
It’s not hitting a lot of turbulence, like a, a different type of odor.
Allen Hall: Yeah. It is a different concept, really, right? That you have this mass at the bottom and you have this mass at the top, which is the, the cell on the wind turbine. And if you can design it just right, everything dampens becomes stable.
Even in turbulent water. How long did it take you to figure out that aspect of the design? Because it does seem like a lot of projects hit a, an end point right there because the motion of the turbine is not good for the lifetime of the turbine.
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: We, we look at it as a, a kind of hybrid spar, CLP, so, so the original design came from my late father who was, who had designed echo fis for children’s [00:10:00] petroleum in the early.
Uh, late sixties, I guess. And, um, so he’d come from oil and gas and he’d come from that concrete, uh, construction background. And, and he is very comfortable with it. And I think, um, Gordon, that’s part of why I like working with Gordon. ’cause Gordon has that same, uh, sort of long-term view on, on these construction principles.
Um,
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: and I think that, that what we saw though is the margins are so different from oil and gas, and so you have to have almost a poor man’s TLP is what we would call it because it’s. It’s gotta be a very simple version of A TLP that can roll out in mass quantities. And, and as you know, coming up with a company that, you know, business plan, you’d wanna be able to, to really scale the business.
And so we had to come up with something that you can make. In different parts of the world at the same time, you’re not tied to one shipyard or one construction.
Allen Hall: Well, even in terms of ship usage, you’re going to reduce the size of the ship considerably. You’re not using big dedicated ships that are really [00:11:00] expensive to operate or to keep in the area, even just to have them there as a lot of money.
You’re thinking about, uh, a different design in terms of. Simple ships that you can find locally. How much does that really lower the cost of deployment?
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: Quite a lot actually. I, I mean, it depends on, you know, so the other, there’s this other, other aspect of installing the wind turbine on the foundation. So we have this fixed to fixed platform concept where you come further, a little bit further offshore and, and give you that, that draft depth that we need.
And then we have a fixed platform that just stays in place and, and we bring the turbines to it and, and float them out. It’s all a self floating. Unit, whether it’s the GBS that, um, Gordon’s been working with us and or the eco TLP. So we, so we we’re really independent of those large vessels. Um, for the most part, you know, we’re, we’re really try and then you, once you install the turbine, you can tow the entire unit out with two tugs.
Two to three tugs.
Allen Hall: That’s remarkable. So essentially because you [00:12:00] used, uh, a basic. Uh, Henry Ford type process to, to create these foundations and to think about the problem differently. Not only can you deploy it, uh, easier than a lot of things we’re doing right now on top of it, it works over a variety of depths and I think that’s a the hard thing for people to grasp because when we talk about offshore particularly start getting off the continental shelves here, you’re talking about.
More than a hundred meters typically of water. But you also have a, the gravity based system and the TLP system are all sort of interconnected into the basic philosophy. Can you, can you explain like the, the, the backbone of how that engineering works?
Gordon Jackson: Uh, well it’s essentially, it’s, um, we’re using the same structural form in both, both fixed and floating.
It’s, it’s basically, it’s two cylinders, uh, you know, one inside the other. A little bit of structure, which joins the two cylinders together. Um, that’s it.
Allen Hall: Gord, you make it sound so simple, but the, the [00:13:00]engineering is complicated to get to that point. And once you get to that level of, oh, that design actually works in a variety of depths, that opens up your customer base quite a bit.
Have you had inquiries from sort of nearshore people? Or fixed bottom people thinking like, whoa, I could actually save myself a bunch of time and money, which is the, the real limiting factor on offshore wind at the moment. Are you starting to see some momentum there that, uh, operators, developers are starting to rethink this problem and not just do what they did last week?
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: Absolutely. I mean, one of the ways we came about the g you know, taking the Ecot P and transforming it to the eco GBS was, was recommended by a client, was, you know, that was their, their ask actions. That’s, that’s always the best way to start. A product development cycle because, you know, somebody’s interested.
Um, and I think, you know, and part of the reason I found Gordon to work with early on in our, um, the life of our company is, is his background in, in GBS development. He did, he developed the gravitas, uh, GBS [00:14:00] 10 years ago. So I think we, we got lucky that our, uh, civil structural engineering partner with AUP was, was already really comfortable with, you know, looking at this.
Allen Hall: Um,
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: so I think that’s, that’s part of, you know, you always want the clients to be interested, you know, before you start investing. You know, you don’t wanna design a product that’s in your head or your, you know, in your, in your company lunchroom without a real ask for it.
Allen Hall: Right? And I, I think also you have a, once you have the engineering pretty well done and.
Obviously do now you’re trying to touch a number of countries and every culture has its own way of, of one of the construction business to do it slightly differently. South Korea does it different than Scotland, for example. You are working across cultures and trying to make the the same design. Uh, apply to all those different areas.
Are, have you learned [00:15:00] some things from that? Is it, are you able to basically set the same assembly line in every place? Or, or are there different, different kinds of concrete, different kinds of access, different kinds of ports that you have to deal with? What are those variables there that, that change the way you do business?
Gordon Jackson: All the characteristics, ports are, uh, you know, obviously different. Um, but you know, really you just need space. Um. And access to reasonably deep water. Um, you know, from, from that, uh, from that space. And, uh, you know, it can get surprisingly difficult to find that, um, certainly in the UK and, uh, you know, in Northern Europe, people wanna build marines and, uh, waterfront living, uh, rather than having, uh, you know, an industrial facility, uh, you know, on the doorsteps.
So, you know, in, you know, developed countries. Um. It can be hard to find that space. But, um, you know, in some, some parts of the world, you know, there’s lots of [00:16:00] space, um, available. Um, some good port facilities that can be, can be utilized. Uh, and then it’s just in, in all civil engineering works, you know, um, you go to do the job, you go wherever the job is, you mobilize there.
Um. You know, you put in the systems, uh, and equipment that you need to build, build a structure, and then normally you go away at the end of the job, you know, you hand it over to the client. Um, you know what, what, um, what would be good here is if we could set up some regional centers where you’ve done the, done the investment in the yard, um, and then you can, uh, you can amortize those costs of development over a number of projects.
Then you should start to see, uh, you know, real, real good cost savings.
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: Just one thing, you know, our footprint of our, of our cylinders is about a third of the footprint of a semi sub, for example. So, [00:17:00] so our footprint on the land port is very small.
Allen Hall: Well, I think that makes sense because if you watch the fixed bottom projects, particularly in the United States.
The first thing they had to do is rebuild the ports. The ports weren’t set for the scale and so they needed to expand the ports. That means you have to acquire land, you’ve gotta develop it. There’s a lot of processes involved. ’cause you’re talking about city, state, and federal government being involved.
Obviously federal in the United States is a problem. Uh, so just getting the port developed was a huge process for. Fixed bottom. You’re thinking about that differently though, because the, the reduced amount of space, the, uh, you don’t have to be in a huge industrial area, but all obviously it would be nice, but you do run against that problem.
Are you thinking, uh, when you talk about regional centers, are you thinking kind of Mediterranean, west Coast, us, Australia, one in Japan? How do you think about that problem? Because. [00:18:00] Once you get a a site established, it does seem like because of the, how fast you can move these things around that it’ll become a pretty good job center for a lot of people.
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: Yeah. There’s a long-term maintenance, you know, crew that needs to be developed while we build these. Um, yeah, I think, I think, you know, it’s been a moving target of what’s really gonna develop in offshore wind. It’s like Lucy and Charlie Brown with football. I think we, we constantly try to, you know, get lined up to, to kick football and then it falls.
It’s more of the developers I, I feel for on that ’cause they’re these investing tremendous amount of money for these, these development sites. Um, so, you know, we are open to any, you know, we’ve been, we’ve looked at, um, some developers are looking at steel production and concrete production, you know, two different reports servicing.
An array and we’re really flexible. It doesn’t, doesn’t matter. When we first started on that Hawaii project, we were gonna do floating pla, you know, floating, um, [00:19:00] barges to slipform. And, and we talked about that with Arab. Some still this floating dock idea and, and submerging that dock. And it’s just a matter of finding the right, uh, a large enough, um, dock for that type of, so then you’re not even using the land base port.
You’re learn, you’re using kind of just to. Maybe a 400 foot frontage on the, on the, along the port.
Allen Hall: Well, that’s amazingly small, right? Because if you look at some of these ports right now that are doing, uh, fixed bottom offshore, they’re massive, they’re huge sites. You’re talking about something roughly a 10th of the scale to get the same end result, which is turbines in the water
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: for our part of it.
I mean, we still, you still have the components and, and those are, that’s a, it’s another logistical challenge, and so I understand why the ports are. Looking at a lot more lay down space and things, but you know, maybe at a certain point these components are so large that they just stay on a vessel and they, and we, we take them off of a vessel directly and load them in.
Allen Hall: Yeah, I think that’s one of the, the considerations [00:20:00] is do you really tie it to land in, in terms of needing a, a massive amount of space, acres of space, thousands of square meters of space. Do you need that or is this, or can you do it much more efficiently because that overhead adds up over time. Not only are you trying to save on, on the ships and the, especially the dedicated ships, you’re also looking at smaller footprints on shore and doing it a lot more economically.
What does that future look like now, because it does seem like we’re at a precipice where floating wind is no longer just being discussed. In theory, it’s, it’s going to be implemented. What are those next steps here for Eco TLP?
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: So next week we’re headed to Tokyo, to Japan for the wind. Expo and, um, Eric is also presenting at the Asia Wind Offshore Show.
Um, I think we’re, you know, we’re, we’re good to learn. I mean, there’s just so much to learn about each culture, and I think this is something that, you know, Gordon and I’ve talked about in terms of these international [00:21:00] projects, you’ve, you’ve gotta understand your culture that you’re moving into and you’ve gotta understand how to mediate across those different companies that come in.
Our company has seven different. Countries represented in our team. So right now, so, so we’re, we’re a US company, but we’re barely, you know, we’re just kind of by name, but I think most of our team members are, are not in the us and, and that’s international collaboration is something, um, I, I really, I really loved working on it.
And I think, so when we go to Japan next week, it’s really mainly just to learn. You know, we don’t. We have a lot to learn about Japan, and, and that’s what’s fun about each of these, these regions.
Gordon Jackson: And that’s where we can help because, uh, you know, we’ve got a presence in Japan. We’ve been doing offshore wind in Japan, so we’re there, we’re there to help eight to eco TLP with our, those little contacts and uh, you know, h do business, uh, uh, in Japan and things like that.
So, you know, [00:22:00] we have a big international network, so you know, it can help. Some, uh, in some areas, you know, open some doors and, uh, forge some, uh, some friendships between, uh, count companies.
Allen Hall: Courtney did a big project out in Perth, Australia, which is a difficult place, right. Australia is a very difficult place to manufacture things.
What are some of the lessons learned and and what was that process like?
Gordon Jackson: So he had a, a client, uh, a very small client who was prepared to. Seed responsibility for delivering his project to a, to a team, an alliance team. Uh, and he just, um, interviewed a number of teams and, uh, we were lucky enough to be selected, uh, as the team to deliver their project.
There was no tendering, uh, it was just done on, you know, how the, how the client felt about the, the individuals that he met. Um, and that, that was [00:23:00] very new to me. Um, and, um, the whole project was delivered, uh, by companies from the uk, from from Australia, from Singapore, uh, from be Netherlands, you know, the Marine, uh, the marine, uh, vessels.
You know, a lot of ’em are coming from, uh, from, uh, Northern Europe, uh, even though you’re in Australia. Um, and, um, you know, every company wants to do things differently and they all want to look after their interests, but the big thing about this alliance project was that, uh, you were, you were focused on one particular project and we were, um, we were coached and, and facilitated, and trained to, um, to throw away our, you know, our company affiliations and work together.
And, uh, you know, to collaborate together. And, um, [00:24:00] you know, we’re all working towards the, the end goal of delivering a particular product. And I think that’s, I think it’s got a lot of, um, lot of potential to be used in the offshore wind sector. This, this was, uh, you know, uh, an oil platform that we were gonna build on the, uh, the northwest shelf of Australia, um, which happened to be built in concrete, um, because the client.
The client came to us with a, with a, a notion of, of doing something in concrete, um, which we, we took his idea, uh, decided we could do something a little bit cheaper and more straightforward and, um, you know, went on to deliver it. We were given the opportunity to deliver it. And, uh, yeah, I, it was my best project.
Uh, it was a tremendous experience for all the companies involved. And you know, everyone made money so everyone’s happy.
Allen Hall: That is difficult, right? You, you do see on these offshore projects, people coming from around the world to [00:25:00] work on this one big effort, a lot of money, and at times, thousands of people involved.
You see companies stu stumble there, uh, obviously because you’re trying to tie cultures, you’re trying to tie companies together, but at the end of the day, you have to get this project done. Are, are there some top level lessons learned from that of, of how to bridge those differences?
Gordon Jackson: Well, I did another project, uh, this was a, a steel project, um, where we had a, a US oil company.
Uh, and, um. The successful contractor was Hyundai in Korea. And they said to, said to me over the course of the project,
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: uh,
Gordon Jackson: we always lose money with, um, with American oil companies. You know, why, why are we doing business with them? Uh, and it, and it all came down to the, you know, the, the approach to the [00:26:00]contract.
You know, um, Hyundai used to. Working in a more collaborative way with our clients, whereas, you know, this project, you know, this is what the contract says, this is what you’ve taken on to do, you know, there’s no negotiation, you know, you’ll do it and that’s how much money you’re getting. And, uh, you know, um, but they find that very difficult.
And, uh, it was at the time when they were sort of opening up their business more internationally. Um, and I think it was a big learning experience for them. Um. So, yeah. Um, I think a lot of the offshore wind tried to follow the same path and, um, yeah, I think more collaborative working is to be encouraged for me.
Um, you know, more talking to each other and negotiating rather than, uh, you know, imposs.
Allen Hall: Where should developers go to find out more about Eco TLP? [00:27:00] Because you have a gravity based system. You got attention lake platform, there’s a, there’s a lot inside of the company. What’s the first stop? Should they visit your website?
Should they connect with you on LinkedIn? Where do they go?
Nicole Johnson-Murphy: The LinkedIn where website is great.
Allen Hall: So go visit Eco TLP. It’s E-C-O-T-L-P. Com, Nicole and Gordon, this has been a great discussion. I’ve learned a lot. It’s very exciting because I think you’re on the precipice of something great. So thank you for joining me today.
Gordon Jackson: Thank you. Thank you.
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