911³Ô¹Ï

Sustainable energy engineering professor Vincenzo Pecunia has been announced as a recipient of the . He has received funding to advance research on next-generation solar-powered greenhouse technology.

As one of Canada’s most highly competitive federal research programs, the NFRF supports high-risk, high-reward and interdisciplinary research. Despite eligibility spanning across various research disciplines, only 92 projects were funded nationwide this year. Pecunia has become one of three recipients in 911³Ô¹Ï’s Faculty of Applied Sciences to receive this funding since the program’s launch in 2018.

The foundation of this project is grounded in solar-cell technology, materials science and device physics, which are central to the work being conducted in Pecunia’s lab at 911³Ô¹Ï’s . The team is co-designing lightweight, transparent solar cells that generate clean electricity while transmitting the light crops need for growth. This approach can improve crop production and energy output, enabling innovative design potential beyond technologies.

By integrating technological innovation with local farmers and Indigenous communities through a Two-Eyed Seeing approach, the project seeks to create solar greenhouse technologies that are practical, efficient and socially acceptable. Through close collaboration with these communities, the team will gain insight into the local knowledge, values and agricultural practices that will guide key technical and agricultural decisions.

The project strives to pave the way for transforming solar technologies that enable sustainable, energy-generating food production while supporting Canada’s food security and climate resilience goals.