Agrivoltaics: The Future of Sustainable Farming

As the world's population continues to grow, the demand for food and energy is also increasing. Finding sustainable solutions to meet these demands is becoming more and more critical. Agrivoltaics, the practice of combining agriculture with solar energy production, is emerging as a promising solution that can benefit both farmers and the environment.

 
What is Agrivoltaics?
Agrivoltaics, also known as solar farming or agrophotovoltaics, is the practice of using solar panels to generate electricity while also allowing crops or other vegetation to grow underneath. The panels are mounted on a frame that is elevated above the crops, providing shade and protection from the elements. The electricity generated can either be used on-site or sold back to the grid.

Benefits of Agrivoltaics
Agrivoltaics has several benefits for both farmers and the environment. For farmers, it provides an additional source of income through the sale of electricity, while also protecting their crops from extreme weather conditions like hail and frost. The shade provided by the solar panels can also help reduce evaporation and keep the soil moist, reducing the need for irrigation.

From an environmental perspective, agrivoltaics can help reduce the amount of land needed for solar energy production, as well as reduce the environmental impact of traditional agriculture. The shade provided by the panels can help reduce soil erosion, and the vegetation can help absorb excess water, reducing the risk of flooding.

Examples of Agrivoltaics
Agrivoltaics is still a relatively new practice, but it is gaining momentum around the world. In the United States, a project in Massachusetts combines the production of berries with the generation of solar energy. In Japan, a project combines the production of vegetables with the generation of solar energy. In India, a project combines the production of wheat with the generation of solar energy.

Challenges of Agrivoltaics
While agrivoltaics has many benefits, there are also some challenges that need to be addressed. One of the biggest challenges is the cost of the technology. The cost of solar panels has been declining in recent years, but it is still relatively expensive. Another challenge is the need for specialized equipment and expertise to install and maintain the panels.

In conclusion, agrivoltaics is a promising solution for sustainable farming and renewable energy production. It has many benefits for farmers and the environment, and has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about agriculture and energy. While there are still challenges that need to be addressed, the future of agrivoltaics looks bright.

Stalkerware? Do You Experience It?

Your smartphone, your PC, your laptop – most of the devices we use are to some degree vulnerable to so-called stalkerware, software installed without your knowledge and aimed at obtaining sensitive data, like personal photos or login details. 

In a nutshell, stalkerware “can result in the theft of data, monitoring of emails, SMS and MMS messages sent and received and even intercept your phone calls for the purposes of eavesdropping”, the Coalition against Stalkerware says.

The platform, a joint initiatve by aid organisations and IT security companies, aims to combat stalking, harassment and domestic violence by addressing the issue of stalkerware.

“Stalkerware services imply that their customers personally know victims, because these commercial spyware apps are manually installed. Users have to download the app, install it and enter credentials that are received after purchasing,” the Coalition explains further.

Anyone who loses their smartphone for a short period of time or has lent it to someone else for a longer time should therefore check it for changed or unknown settings, the initiative recommends.

On Android devices, for example, the setting “Unknown Sources” in the security menu is deactivated by default. If it’s suddenly activated, however, it could have been manipulated.

An unexpected discharge of the battery can also be a sign of stalkerware. Other indications are unknown apps or processes and webcam permissions that have not been granted by the device owner.

Even active sessions for which you have not logged in can indicate installed stalkerware.

Stalkerware is used for hidden digital surveillance, among other things. Removing it is not easy, but not impossible either. The Coalition against Stalkerware offers advise on how to do so on its website.

However, if you delete it, the respective offender is also warned. Victims of cyberstalking should therefore prepare a security plan and get expert help, for example from organisations that support victims of domestic violence.

The World’s First Under-Display Selfie Camera

Latest mobile phone from ZTE unveiled the new technology for world first under-display selfie camera.

The Axon 20 teardown shows us how ZTE is actually using two screens stacked on top of one another (a small, square, and low-resolution one on top of the selfie cam and the OLED top panel) to let the under-display camera peer out toward the user from beneath the top layer display.

It’s a first-gen device, but it’s undoubtedly a signal of where phone design will go in the future, as companies aim to preserve the edge-to-edge display without compromising on notches and cutouts for things like selfie cams and fingerprint scanners.

10 Simple Way To Extend iPhone Battery Life

Me and my friend use iPhone and we knows that the iPhone's battery life isn't great. In fact, many users can't make it through a full day without having to plug in at some point. There are a few simple ways to stretch your battery life and make it further on a single charge.

While you may have already heard some of these tips, it's always good to get a refresher.

1. Turn off auto brightness and turn down screen brightness. Screen brightness is the biggest battery drain culprit. If you want to get more time in unplugged, turn the brightness down as low as you can stand. To adjust screen brightness head to Settings --> Brightness --> Wallpaper and adjust accordingly.
2. Turn off your Equalizer. The Equalizer lets you tweak sound output from the music app, but it also drains battery. To switch this off head to Settings --> Music --> EQ.
3. Fetch data less frequently. Instead of having your phone push you new emails every 15 minutes, set it to "manually" or "hourly." This will stop your phone from looking for emails so much, which can drain the battery.
4. Close out apps in the multitasking tray. Apple's iPhone software does a good job at managing the power of apps running in the background so they don't use up a lot of power. But if you're desperate, you may be able to squeeze a small amount of time from your battery by closing all your apps. Double tap the home button, then press and hold any one icon and they will begin to shake. Now tap the red minus in the top right corner of each app until all of them disappear.
5. Turn off Push Notifications. Chances are you have a email account or other app set up on your phone that pushes an alert each time you receive a new message. Turning off the push notifications temporarily will definitely save some battery life. To adjust this head to Settings --> Mail, Contacts, and Calendars --> Fetch New Data and turn off fetching for email. Other notifications can be adjusted in Settings --> Notifications.
6. Turn off LTE/3G whenever you don't need it . If you have an iPhone 5, you have a fast Internet connection called LTE. Unfortunately, it can be a huge battery drain. If you're on an older model iPhone you should be able to turn off 3G when you don't need it or are low on power. To adjust head to Settings --> General --> Cellular and switch them off.
7. Turn off Wi-Fi. If you're not near a wireless network, it's not necessary for your phone to continually search for these networks. Turn it off until you're near somewhere where you want to connect. Also turn off the "Ask to Join Network" option, this will drain battery too. To adjust head to Settings --> Wi-Fi.
8. Turn off Bluetooth. If you're not using it, don't keep it on. Head to Settings --> Bluetooth.
9. Turn off Location Services. A lot of people use their phone as a GPS, but if you don't need directions, turn off location services. It's one of the biggest drains on your phone's battery. You can adjust individual apps that use location if you absolutely need to have this feature on. To fix this head to Settings --> Privacy --> Location Services.
10. Get a Mophie Juicepack. If you don't want to sacrifice any of your iPhone's features, the Mophie Juicepack will double you battery life and save you in a pinch.

@ Global Info Center