Acres of silicone glister in the sun; vast blades of fibreglass scythe the sky; turbines moil in the oceans: billions are being invested in renewable energy schemes around the world as awareness of the climate emergency finally dawns and the energy crisis bites. But architects and planners are now upping the ante, striving to create benefits beyond eco-power production for this green infrastructure. ‘We need to ask: how could this project work harder and bring delight?’ says Alister Kratt, energy and infrastructure specialist at UK-based LDA Design. ‘We need to be creative and optimistic. Can we incorporate social and sporting space, research facilities or food production?’

Spain is pioneering in agrivoltaics: a project in Totana is harvesting power from the sun along with artichokes and thyme on dual-use land. Austria’s hydroelectricity plants are visitor attractions: you can trek through alpine waterfalls before zooming 600m down the face of the Schlegeis dam on a zipwire. In Iceland, aesthetics triumph. ‘We were trying to create a timeless design,’ explains architect Pálmar Kristmundsson of his geothermal Borholuhús plants. ‘And we asked: why can’t it be beautiful as well as functional?’ And at Norway’s Øvre Forsland hydropower plant it’s all about the setting: ‘We wanted it to live together with nature instead of destroying it,’ architect Stein Hamre tells us. ‘It should be inspiring and fascinating instead of it being an irritation.’ Looking at these projects, we heartily agree.

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