NextGen Nano is launching a pilot agrivoltaics demonstration project in West Africa for its PolyPower solar films
It will assess whether the system can support cultivation of nutrient-rich crops while generating electricity; the plan is backed by structural demand, it says
It will also evaluate potential uses for cooling, refrigeration, and medical cold-chain storage in underserved areas
UK-based NextGen Nano Limited plans to launch a $300 million global agrivoltaics initiative, starting with a pilot in West Africa. The project will act as a demonstration for its PolyPower transparent organic solar film technology for greenhouse and tunnel structures, it says.
NextGen describes PolyPower as an ultra-thin, flexible, and transparent solar film that can be integrated into any kind of surface. Developed using organic PV cells, NextGen says PolyPower solar cells integrated with eco-friendly biopolymers achieve 85% energy efficiency.
Possible applications include aerospace, automotive glass, transparent OLED displays, building-integrated PV (BIPV), façades, smart street furniture, and vehicles, among others.
With its agrivoltaics initiative, NextGen says it aims to assess whether agrivoltaic greenhouse systems can support the reliable cultivation of nutrient-rich crops such as amaranth, African nightshade, cowpea leaves, spider plant, moringa, and kale.
“By enabling more reliable cultivation of these crops, the pilot will also assess whether agrivoltaic greenhouse systems can help improve dietary diversity and reduce nutrition-related health burdens, particularly among children,” according to NextGen.
Strong structural demand supports the opportunity, it claims, citing the World Bank’s estimates of Africa’s food and agribusiness market to reach $1 trillion by 2030. Additionally, nearly 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack electricity. With this, NextGen says it sees potential for scalable integrated infrastructure solutions.
The pilot will enable it to assess whether the system can power cooling, refrigeration, and other community energy needs in areas with limited or unreliable electricity. It will also assess the use of PolyPower technology in medical cold-chain storage for vaccines, medicines, and other temperature-sensitive supplies in clinics and community facilities.
If successful, NextGen will replicate the model globally, targeting the deployment of up to £300 million of projects over the next 5 years in partnership with governments, development banks, major agricultural groups, and private investors.
NextGen is developing the initiative with regional partners and a leading European applied solar energy research institution, ‘with recognized expertise in bridging advanced photovoltaic innovation and industrial deployment’, said NextGen Nano’s Head of Strategic Partnerships, Dr. Sagar Jain.
“This initiative demonstrates how cutting-edge European and US technologies can directly contribute to raising living standards in underserved regions,” explained Jain. “By combining advanced transparent organic solar materials with climate-controlled agriculture and energy systems, we believe agrivoltaic platforms like this can unlock entirely new deployment models for sustainable development worldwide.”
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