Vertical farming solutions provider in 2024: When most consumers consider vertical farms, they think of grocery store lettuce. They’re not wrong — leafy greens are an excellent crop for a controlled, hydroponic growing setup. But how exactly does vertical farming work, and how are today’s companies and startups taking advantage of the shifting landscape to offer a new way to acquire fresh produce? What Is Vertical Farming? Vertical farming, also referred to broadly as indoor farming, is the practice of growing produce in layers, stacked vertically, as opposed to the traditional method of growing in the ground. Find additional information on vertical farming solution
This groundbreaking farming method saves considerable space and soil, and, as an extra perk, these vertical farms tend to pay higher wages than traditional farming setups, too. This goes hand-in-hand with rising consumer concern for employee working conditions, which are often unsafe and low-paying in agricultural sectors. Combined with extreme weather patterns and land disputes, the situation can lead to a very insecure industry. Further enhancing safety, the chance of acquiring foodborne illnesses is greatly reduced with vertical farming, cutting down on overall liability and the risk of damaged reputations and associated costs.
Year-Round Food Production – Controlled growing environments in warehouses enable the cultivation of seasonal foods all year round. This helps ensure consistent supply and shorter harvest times without compromising produce quality. Consumers can then enjoy their favorite fresh fruits and greens regardless of the season and without shipping them in from far away. Adverse Weather Protection – Extreme weather can severely affect traditional farming — freezing temperatures stifle plant growth, droughts cause crops to die, excessive rain damages the soil and so on. Growing crops in climate-controlled warehouses protects them from inclement weather so such natural catastrophes don’t impact crop yields and ensure predictable harvests.
OptiClimatefarm lab team has been working on something even more unusual – saffron, aka the world’s most expensive spice. For years, the team has commercialized the growing of vertical leafy greens, herbs, tomatoes & peppers for global growers. 4 tons of saffron seed balls could be grown in only 100m2 OptiClimatefarm with Smart Climate + Artificial Light vertical grow rack technology to optimize planting density in a controlled environment indoors.
Vertical farming HVAC systems generate significant amounts of heat as byproducts. Implementing waste heat recovery technologies can harness this excess heat and repurpose it for various applications, such as water heating or powering absorption chilling systems. Key advantages include: Reduced energy consumption for heating purposes; Increased overall energy efficiency by utilizing waste heat; Cost savings through the reuse of heat energy. Controlling temperature fluctuations minimizes stress on plants, promoting their overall health and productivity.
In addition, it is necessary to map the environment so that the design of, for example, a chiller/cooling water installation can also take the noise level into account. Higher requirements will be placed in a built environment than in an industrial area. On top of that, lighting is also of great importance in vertical farming. It is important to adjust the lighting to the HVAC system so that an optimal growing environment is created. In addition, controlling lighting can also help reduce energy consumption.
One of the best ways to utilize indoor spaces is by installing vertical racking systems. Vertical farming has shown, time and time again, to be a viable solution for increasing crop yield within a given area. However, with the right technology, vertical racking systems can be used for both propagation and flower andvegetable . Vertical systems have been compared with traditional, single level methods and vertical farming has continually produced more crop per unit area. Indoor vertical farming becomes the most effective when maximizing the grow space between tiers/levels, using specialized HVACD and LEDs. Find even more details at opticlimatefarm.com.
OptiClimatefarm, a unique technology, which could provides the best vertical growing systems, vertical farming solutions, and also the best environment for plant growth ,which unites cooling, heating, dehumidification, air circulation, filtration and optical induction in one system. OptiClimate is independently invented by Hicool research team through relentless work over ten years. OptiClimate owns a complete series of energy-saving grow room air conditioner products from OptiClimate Pro 2 to Pro 5, consisting of Air cooled system, Water cooled system , packaged or split units, optional with inverter technology, voltage and current stabilization, even Zero-emission clean refrigerant.
The choice of refrigerant used in the cooling systems affects, among other things, the purchase price, service and maintenance costs, energy consumption, and lifespan. Properly maintaining an HVAC system can ensure that the system remains efficient and lasts longer. It is important to perform regular maintenance, such as replacing filters and cleaning ducts. HVAC systems can produce a lot of noise, which can be a nuisance to the surrounding area. It is important to pay attention to the different noise levels during the design phase. Growing spaces without personnel require different sound requirements than processing spaces, for example.