By 2010, falling costs of solar PV and reverse osmosis desalination, combined with intensifying global water stress, made the seawater greenhouse a compelling commercial opportunity. Seawater Greenhouse Ltd established a 2,000 m² pilot near Port Augusta, on the Spencer Gulf coast of South Australia. The project attracted significant commercial investment and was acquired by Sundrop Farms, who scaled it 100-fold to a 20-hectare commercial facility — one of the most significant sustainable horticulture projects ever built.

The Port Augusta facility uses seawater pumped from the Spencer Gulf for evaporative cooling and freshwater production through solar desalination. At 20 hectares under Sundrop Farms' ownership, it produces tomatoes commercially for Australian supermarkets year-round with no groundwater use and minimal freshwater input. The project proved that the seawater greenhouse model is not just scientifically sound — it is commercially viable at industrial scale.

Sundrop Farms scaled the facility from 2,000 m² to 20 hectares and now supplies major Australian supermarket chains with tomatoes grown entirely without freshwater. The project stands as the most powerful proof of concept in the history of seawater greenhouse technology — a fully commercial, industrial-scale operation in one of Australia's harshest coastal environments.