Could vertical farming be a solution for retail space?

This concept has been discussed for many years, but only now is getting to a point where it is economically viable and able to compete with traditional farming methods.

Vertical farms most efficient use of space to grow agricultural goods

Vertical farms allow producers to circulate air and light easier, have massive growing plains on a relatively small footprint and ultimately increase the productivity of each workable square foot.

For perspective, a vertical farm can condense the equivalent of about 700 acres of farmland into the size of a big box retail store.

They can harvest 365 days per year, shortening the growth cycle to about 10 days for many products, which is a nearly 700 per cent increase in yield.

They do this all while saving about one million gallons of water per week and using about one per cent of the land of traditional farming.

Furthermore, when plants are watered indoors, the water is transpired through the roots, then sucked into air handling units where it is condensed and put right back into the irrigation system.

Ninety-nine per cent of the water normally lost in open, outdoor farms is recaptured and recirculated in a vertical farm.

Vertical farm systems and design

A vertical farm is a system of energy transfers and the efficiency to which these transfers are controlled will determine the viability and economic success of an operation.

Historically, vertical farming has been too expensive and inefficient to compete with traditional farming, but the costs of development and indoor production are improving each day, as are the demands from consumers.

A vertical farm, depending on the size, could cost up to $100 million to develop, but the cost of each component is decreasing as industries like solar and robotics continue to flourish.

One of the biggest improvements made was in LED lighting, which due to increasing popularity have been going continuously down in price and up in efficiency.

Three areas of control to ensure a successful vertical farm design are:

1. Climate
2. Lighting
3. Spacing

To ensure the best yields, these three elements need to be monitored and maximized through smart mechanical, electrical and structural design.

Items to keep in mind are ventilation and air handling systems, sufficient and consistent power, and efficient automation to ensure equal delivery of nutrients and water.

The vertical farm comparison

Currently, items produced at a vertical farm are being sold to grocery stores and restaurants at a small premium due to high costs of vertical farming, though parity is close with improved automation and potentially shorter transportation requirements.

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Photo courtesy of iFarm

Source: RENX.ca