Solar Oysters and Blue Oyster Environmental launch solar-powered oyster production system
Prototype of solar-powered oyster production system to operate on Hoopers Island Oyster Company’s lease in 2024
Solar Oysters, a sustainable aquaculture technology producer, is partnering with Blue Oyster Environmental (BOE), a vertically integrated oyster aquaculture company. The collaboration aims to transform aquaculture technology by using solar energy for oyster production and to enhance environmental sustainability and efficiency.
The Solar Oyster Production System (SOPS) is estimated to produce up to 200,000 oysters in a 0.02-acre space. Traditional oyster farms often require multiple acres to produce a similar amount. The SOPS prototype has solar panels that rotate 575 oyster cages on five ladders to a depth of 16 feet. This increases the oysters’ access to varying food availability, dissolved oxygen and salinity and exposes them to sunlight, which can inhibit biofouling. The SOPS technology includes a spray wash system powered by solar energy.
“We are excited to partner with Solar Oysters LLC to bring this innovative, game-changing technology to the aquaculture market,” said Jordan Shockley, BOE’s CEO.
BOE owns Hoopers Island Oyster Company, a full-service oyster production business that grows oysters and manufactures oyster aquaculture equipment. The company strives to restore the eastern oyster as a cornerstone species of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and helps oyster farmers measure and sell nutrient credits.
In late September 2023, the SOPS prototype was moved from the Baltimore harbor to Crocheron, Maryland. The SOPS prototype will operate on Hoopers Island Oyster Company’s lease on Fishing Bay in 2024. It’s anticipated that this new partnership will further develop the SOPS technology and enhance its operation. BOE will be the North American distributor of SOPS as the partnership brings this innovative technology to the aquaculture market.
“We look forward to working with Blue Oyster Environmental as our partner in bringing this potentially game-changing technology to growers and those interested in oyster restoration,” said Steve Pattison, Solar Oysters’ business director.
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