Jellyfish barge, a greenhouse on the water

At this time, there are 7 billion people in the world. It is estimated that in 2050 the global population will be about 10 billion people, that will require a major quantity of basic resources, as water or food; only the food demand will increase by 70%, making these resources inevitable low and expensive. Moved by these perspective, a young Italian start-up conceived the Jellyfish Barge, a floating modular greenhouse that is capable of purifying sea water through solar energy, and then to reuse it.

The base of the greenhouse is composed by a wooden octagonal platform of about 70 square meters; it floats on a series of recycled plastic cask, on which it’s positioned a wooden structure that sustains the greenhouse, made of glass. The structure is surrounded by 7 units of solar distillation, that are capable of produce until 150 liters of water per day.

There are two major innovations in this floating greenhouse: a hydroponic system for the cultivation and a solar distillation implant. The first one is based on the possibility to grow any kind of plants without using the soil, but it is possible to use alternative substrates like expanded clay, rock wool and perlite; these materials are rich in mineral nutrients, so they allow a better profit economizing 70% of water compared to traditional crops. The second innovation has a better importance: thanks to solar distillation implant, the water comes to the greenhouse through channels and then it is evaporated. This steam is condensed through special drums , getting distilled water. Besides, these systems do not pollute the environment and they allow to reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides and to purify the air, with a fisical and mental benefit.

For the moment, the costs of the greenhouse are unknown, but Jellyfish Barge is born to be small and to be accessible even in poor economic conditions. It is possible to take a look at the inside of the structure and at various statistics at this link.