Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1534095
7 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 APRIL 2025 KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt THE Superintendence for Cultural Herit- age (SCH) has expressed its "grave concern" about the "unmonitored and unauthorised installation" of two kiosks and tents by the Birgu Regatta Club and has called on the Planning Authority to refuse the club's ap- plication to regularise the structures. The heritage watchdog criticised the "ad- ditions in an area known for its high land- scape value, which are next to the Grade 1 listed Bastions of Santa Skolastica." The Birgu Regatta Club has recently ap- plied to regularise the two illegally con- structed kiosks, known as il-Kajjik kiosks, and to place chairs and tables next to them. The kiosks, which have been operation- al for the past two years, were construct- ed on land between the regatta club and a car park. The Planning Authority has not issued an enforcement notice against the illegality in this historical location. The kiosks are dwarfed by a tent ap- proved as a "temporary and reversible tented structure," sanctioned through a Development Notification Order in 2024, following an application presented by the Birgu local council. In their application, the club stated that it did not own the land in question but had been granted consent by the owners, and that the land is not government-owned. One of the kiosks is classified as a catering establishment where cooking is allowed, and the other is described as a catering es- tablishment where no cooking is allowed. The kiosks erected near the regatta club itself were not visible in aerial photos tak- en in 2018; however, they were visible in satellite imagery taken in 2024. In the meantime, the Birgu local council has also applied for sanctioned alterations to the façade of the club. In its reaction to this application, the SCH also expressed "grave concern" at the partial increase in height of the structure that abuts the bastions, and the creation of a staircase attached to the scheduled forti- fications. While noting that the increase in the club's height cannot be reversed, the SCH proposed painting the apertures in a neu- tral stone colour to lessen the visual im- pact. In 2019, the government stepped in to apply for the construction of a restaurant on top of the existing Birgu Regatta Club, despite objections from the SCH regarding its negative impact on the bastions. However, the application was later turned down by the Planning Commission in 2020. WIND energy is clean and in- finite but has two drawbacks – intermittency caused by the wind's unpredictability and the need for vast areas to avoid in- terference. Intermittency can be miti- gated by deploying batteries to store energy created when it is not needed to be used when the wind stops blowing. But there is little else to do about the need for space. When wind turbines are posi- tioned close together, they create aerodynamic wake losses, which can reduce a farm's total energy output by as much as 30%. To counter this, turbines are spaced far apart, often over a kilometre, requiring vast offshore areas for development. But ground breaking research being conducted at the Univer- sity of Malta aims to maximise the output of wind farms within the same offshore footprint. Re- searchers are exploring the use of large inflatable kites to redi- rect high-altitude winds toward wind turbines. This enhanc- es their efficiency and energy yield. The project called ParaWIND could revolutionise wind farm design, according to Tonio Sant, an engineering professor at the University of Malta. It would be a boon to harness "the stronger and more stable" winds at higher altitudes, he said. "Airships were once widely used for transportation but fell out of favour after the Hinden- burg disaster in 1937. With to- day's technology, we can repur- pose similar inflatable structures into parafoils that help optimise wind farm performance," Sant added. Researchers Karl Zammit and Luke Jurgen Briffa are develop- ing advanced computer models to simulate how these high-al- titude kites can channel wind energy down to turbines. Using cutting-edge computational flu- id dynamics (CFD), the team is analysing how airflow can be redirected to improve turbine efficiency without the need for additional infrastructure. Jean Paul Mollicone added: "With modern CFD simulations, we can precisely model how in- flatable parafoils can optimise wind conditions within a wind farm. This technology could be a game-changer for offshore wind energy." The researchers believe that with offshore wind farms ex- panding rapidly, solutions like ParaWIND could play a crucial role in maximising renewable energy output. If successful, ParaWIND could lead to lower electricity costs and improved sustainability for the offshore wind industry. The project is funded by Xjen- zaMalta through the Fusion Re- search Excellence Programme. Heritage watchdog opposes sanctioning of Birgu Regatta Club's kiosks University research explores use of inflatable kites to boost offshore wind energy The Birgu Regatta Club has presented an application to regularise two illegally built kiosks