Solar Oysters offers an innovative new platform with on-site solar-powered automation for oyster aquaculture. The Solar Oysters Production System (SOPS) will expand grow capacity while decreasing the area required to grow oysters and labor demands.
THE IDEA
Oysters were an afterthought! The original plan was to produce only floating solar arrays. These arrays were designed to offset thermal discharge entering the Chesapeake Bay by removing incident solar energy from the water. A form of ballast was needed to stabilize the floating technology and an opportunity was seen using oysters to provide this weight while effectively cleaning the Bay. THE CONCEPT BUILD In 2019, our concept received initial support from a partnership with the University of MD Center for Environmental Science (UMCES)’s Chesapeake Biological Laboratory as part of a Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) grant. An 8 ft x 6 ft prototype of the growout portion of the SOPS was tested at UMCES on Solomons Island, MD. |
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THE PROTOTYPE
The concept evolved into building a 40 ft x 25 ft SOPS prototype that was launched into Baltimore Harbor in October 2021. In partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and with funding from the Abell Foundation, approximately 400,000 oysters were grown in 2022 – 2023. These oysters helped replenish the harbor’s oyster population and were placed on an reef near Fort Carroll. Triploid oysters were also grown to continue to validate the SOPS technology. Over these 2 years, oysters grown on SOPS had high growth rates and high survivability. |
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THE PARTNERSHIP
In late September 2023, the SOPS prototype was moved from Baltimore Harbor to Crocheron, MD. In partnership with Hoopers Island Oyster Company, SOPS will be deployed on leased grounds in Fishing Bay. Operating SOPS on an active oyster aquaculture farm will lead to further refinement of this technology. These refinements will be incorporated into a final SOPS product available to the oyster aquaculture market. |
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