ENERGY EFFICIENCY
All indoor gardening operations are costly to operate, and that
cost is exponentially heightened when a large-scale vertical
farm operates year-round. The primary financial drawback
with vertical farming is that of excessive energy usage
(which is also vertical farming’s greatest environmental
drawback). As vertical farming operations are 100 per cent
dependent on indoor gardening equipment, each facet of
these complex gardens requires some form of electricity.
The use of LED lights is essential in making vertical
farms viable, both financially and environmentally, in
the long term. Studies show that LED lighting arrange-
ments are 40-70 per cent more energy efficient than those
with HPS and MH lights. On that note, forward-thinking
vertical farming companies are also implementing solar
power systems to lessen their strain on the power grid.
The urban agriculture movement is rapidly gaining
momentum, yet its overall staying power is largely
dependent upon the technology that powers its vertical
farming operations. Government entities such as the USDA
have taken notice of this trend, and the proposed Urban
Agriculture Act dedicates government resources to studying
LED technology. All things considered, LED lighting is
intimately entwined with the progression of vertical farming on
an industrial scale, as its cutting-edge technology makes mass
production possible within the confines of indoor cultivation.
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