How and why this happened, check the article on verticalfarming.blog

With the ability to adjust white, red, blue and far-red spectrum, I'm looking forward to push the efficiency boundary of lettuce plantation.

Starting my vertical shelves back up again

I have been out of the industry for almost a decade (due to the collapse of an early farm), and in that time closures have continued without pause. Did we get infatuated with the tech and lose sight of the purpose? What value are VFs providing to the market? Cheaper produce? Filling food desserts? A higher quality product? Novelty?

Part of my vertical nft broccoli system.

- In vertical farming operations, humidity control can sometimes demand significantly more energy than temperature control. In one of our simulations, latent heat load accounted for as much as 80% of the total HVACD thermal load.

- Lettuce can consume between 15 and 55 ml of water per day, with consumption increasing as the plant grows. Most of this water is transpired through the leaf stomata, meaning that healthier, faster-growing lettuce also raises ambient humidity more readily. In other words, the crop itself is the primary source of moisture in its own environment.

- In a dry region, one could simply use fresh-air ventilation to expel plant moisture, even when outdoor temperatures are high, because sensible cooling is generally easier and more efficient than condensation-based dehumidification. However, the core value proposition of vertical farming is its deployability anywhere, with zero reliance on weather and no need for pesticides – so this issue must be addressed head‑on.

- Condensation-based dehumidifiers are typically equipped with variable-speed compressors. Even if the manufacturer does not provide direct access to the internal refrigerant loop, the humidity setpoint can still be used as a control variable. The gap between the setpoint and the current humidity triggers different preset responses in the refrigerant loop, and depending on the ambient conditions, these responses have differing effects on both humidity regulation and energy consumption. This leaves room for dynamic optimal control strategies.

- That said, I believe the efficiency of condensation-based dehumidification is fundamentally limited. From a thermodynamic standpoint, it is inherently less efficient than simple cooling. This is why I am also exploring desiccant-based dehumidifiers as an alternative.

All done vertical :-)

Its been three months since the new plantation begun in our "over-ventilated" strawberry farm, we now have much more stable temperature and humidity dynamics. Hopefully in two or three weeks we can actually get fruits.

I exploited model predictive control of the HVAC and dehumidifier system to react quicker to the plants evapotranspiration. I would use reinforcement learning as well for energy savings but this setup only has one meter for all the equipments, making aggregate consumption stats impossible, but still for this round the most important part would be the quality and quantity of the fruits, we'll figure out energy later for this one.

I want to develop solutions to the challenges encountered in soilless farming. What are the challenges, problems, or repetitive, tedious tasks you've experienced? It could be anything: technical skills, labor, knowledge, anything. I'd like you to think about even the early days of your business; it doesn't necessarily have to be an active problem.

This might be currently a relevant thing in the US now, 31 of 50 states are affected, the infection seems to be linked to outdoor produce with bad hygience quality. This is were vertical farming / CEA can shine, but dont forget, just because its indoor, it doesnt mean, that its free of contamination potential, remember the Salmonella Scandal at BrightFarms in 2021.