PILOT PROJECT • DEVON, UK

Harvesting the Sun.
Powering Compute.
Respecting the Land.

Pilot agrivoltaic facilities combining solar energy and high-performance compute with continued agricultural use in rural Devon.

THE OPPORTUNITY

A better way to use rural land

Traditional approaches to large-scale solar and compute infrastructure often create conflict with agricultural land use. As demand for clean energy and computing power grows, rural land faces increasing pressure.

AetherForge is developing a different model — one that maximises land productivity by combining solar generation with continued farming and on-site compute.

OUR CONCEPT

Agrivoltaic Compute

AetherForge Compute is piloting facilities that integrate:

  • Elevated solar arrays optimised for dual land use
  • Modular compute infrastructure powered directly by on-site solar (behind-the-meter)
  • Continued agricultural activity, particularly sheep grazing beneath and between the panels
KEY ADVANTAGE
Behind-the-meter power generation + productive farmland on the same land.
WHY DEVON?

The right place for this model

Why Devon?

  • Significant areas of suitable rural land with strong agricultural heritage
  • Practical land stewardship open to well-designed innovation
  • Opportunity to demonstrate genuinely multifunctional land use
  • Growing national support for dual-use renewable projects

Why Agrivoltaics?

Agrivoltaics (dual-use solar) is already proving successful across the UK, especially with sheep grazing. It increases overall land efficiency, improves public acceptance, supports biodiversity, and provides farmers with stable additional income.

We believe this is the future of responsible large-scale solar and compute development.

BENEFITS

A model that works for everyone

For Landowners

  • Long-term, stable income
  • Continue sheep grazing operations
  • Diversified revenue streams
  • Keep land in productive agricultural use

For the Environment & Region

  • Maximised productive land use
  • Support for biodiversity
  • Contribution to renewable goals
  • New economic activity in rural Devon

For Compute & Infrastructure

  • Direct access to clean on-site power
  • Resilient, modular design
  • Lower transmission losses
  • Potential for decentralised infrastructure
THE PILOT

Proving the model at scale

We are developing a phased pilot in Devon to demonstrate the full potential of agrivoltaic compute facilities.

Phase 1 Focus
  • • Optimised agrivoltaic layout with sheep grazing
  • • Behind-the-meter solar powering modular compute
  • • Resilient connectivity (Starlink integration)
  • • Real-world performance data collection
Longer-term Vision

Scalable, replicable deployments that combine productive farming, clean energy generation, and high-performance compute in rural settings across the UK.

ABOUT

AetherForge Compute Ltd

We were incorporated to explore and deliver practical, high-performance compute infrastructure powered by innovative and responsible land use.

Led by Director Joshua Karkeek, we focus on grounded, real-world solutions that combine renewable energy, modular technology, and productive rural land.

Ready to explore a partnership?

We are actively seeking discussions with landowners in Devon who have suitable acreage and are open to innovative dual-use projects.

AetherForge Compute Ltd • Ivybridge, Devon
joshua@aetherforgecompute.com