Harnessing the Sun

A vertical farm built inside a greenhouse in Texas has cut energy use by 75 per cent by using sunlight.

The lettuce farm in Dallas, Texas has combined the efficiencies of a greenhouse with the density of a vertical farm. The unique farming technique is shortening supply chains, reducing transportation costs, and allowing produce to be delivered to stores just one week after harvest.

The farming solution launched by Eden Green Technology has lettuce plants stacked in vertical towers to allow sunlight to come through greenhouse windows and reach every plant. They’ve also created a microclimate solution that means only the space directly surrounding each plant needs to be monitored as opposed to climate of the entire greenhouse.

Operating since October 2022, the aim is to add six more greenhouses that could produce up to 2.7 million kilograms of produce a year.

Will they actually decrease power use or increase production instead? How will the salad industry compete?