Feeding the next generation: Vertical farming 2.0
Lead Participant:
LETTUS GROW LTD
Abstract
"LettUs Grow & ECH Engineering are on a mission to revolutionise vertical farming and help feed the next generation. We will do this by combining our innovative irrigation and lighting technologies to increase productivity, quality and sustainability of vertical farming.
Vertical farms combine soil-free growing of crops indoors, in stacked beds of shelves, under artificial lights and controlled environments. They are able to produce crops all year round, protected from the elements, without the requirement for pesticides.
The project will combine our technologies in a feasibility study to test and prove, in a large-scale farm operation, the efficiency and yield gains to demonstrate significant economic benefits and compete with traditional agriculture and global vertical farming market leaders.
In January 2017 an estimated 600 vertical farms were in operation globally (Newbean Capital, 2016), in a market valued at over $2 billion and estimated to exceed $13 billion by 2024 (27% annual growth). The UK plays a growing part in this market, with over 10 new farm builds and/or expansions planned for 2018\. We aim to be the principal supplier of irrigation, lighting, and environmental control technology to the UK market and target sales into key markets in the US, Europe, and Middle East by 2020\.
LettUs Grow design technology for the next generation of vertical farms. Our value proposition is three-fold. We:
• increase crop yields through our patent-pending irrigation hardware
• reduce farm operational costs through our farm management software
• provide R&D services so that farmers don't have to undertake it internally
ECH's water-cooled lighting system improves electrical efficiency by maintaining LED's at an optimal temperature to maximise LED life and efficiency (frequent early failures in traditional products are typically heat related), and furthermore decouples the light intensity and heat, which is important when growing in an enclosed space as it reduces the running costs of energy intensive HVAC systems.
The project team combines strong scientific research and product development skills with experience in design and build of controlled environment facilities and over 10 years' experience in vertical farming."
Vertical farms combine soil-free growing of crops indoors, in stacked beds of shelves, under artificial lights and controlled environments. They are able to produce crops all year round, protected from the elements, without the requirement for pesticides.
The project will combine our technologies in a feasibility study to test and prove, in a large-scale farm operation, the efficiency and yield gains to demonstrate significant economic benefits and compete with traditional agriculture and global vertical farming market leaders.
In January 2017 an estimated 600 vertical farms were in operation globally (Newbean Capital, 2016), in a market valued at over $2 billion and estimated to exceed $13 billion by 2024 (27% annual growth). The UK plays a growing part in this market, with over 10 new farm builds and/or expansions planned for 2018\. We aim to be the principal supplier of irrigation, lighting, and environmental control technology to the UK market and target sales into key markets in the US, Europe, and Middle East by 2020\.
LettUs Grow design technology for the next generation of vertical farms. Our value proposition is three-fold. We:
• increase crop yields through our patent-pending irrigation hardware
• reduce farm operational costs through our farm management software
• provide R&D services so that farmers don't have to undertake it internally
ECH's water-cooled lighting system improves electrical efficiency by maintaining LED's at an optimal temperature to maximise LED life and efficiency (frequent early failures in traditional products are typically heat related), and furthermore decouples the light intensity and heat, which is important when growing in an enclosed space as it reduces the running costs of energy intensive HVAC systems.
The project team combines strong scientific research and product development skills with experience in design and build of controlled environment facilities and over 10 years' experience in vertical farming."
Lead Participant | Project Cost | Grant Offer |
|---|---|---|
| LETTUS GROW LTD | £570,928 | £ 399,650 |
Participant |
||
| INNOVATE UK | ||
| ECH ENGINEERING LIMITED | £127,616 | £ 89,331 |
People |
ORCID iD |
| Ben Crowther (Project Manager) |