Title of Project: Vertical Farming: Skyscraper Sustainability?

Name: Malek Al-Chalabi

University and Department: Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London
Academic Year: 2009-2010
Supervisors: Professor David Fisk and Dr. Robert Gross
Objectives:
Vertical farming is the urban farming of fruits, vegetables, and grains, inside a building in a
city or urban centre, in which floors are designed to accommodate certain crops. The
objective of this thesis was to investigate the feasibility and plausibility of the vertical
farming concept in three specific and interrelated research domains. The first research
question was to investigate whether enough energy can be generated onsite to meet the needs
of the building. The second research question was to investigate the carbon footprint of
produce grown vertically and compare that to produce grown conventionally (greenhouse and
outdoors). The final research question was to investigate how relevant stakeholders perceive
the concept of vertical farming and what they believe are current barriers and opportunities
towards uptake of the technology. The purpose of this investigation was to determine ways to
supply food to cities in an energy efficient and sustainable manner from both a quantitative
and qualitative approach.
Introduction:
It is predicted that the world population will reach 9 billion by 2050, of which 70% will live
in urban centres. This change, alongside a changing climate, will strain Earths resources,
specifically the ability to supply food. A valuable investigation would be to determine other
ways to supply food to cities alongside current agricultural practices in a sustainable manner.
One idea is the concept of vertical farming. Vertical farming can be defined as farming fruits,
vegetables, grains, etc in the middle of a city inside of a building where different floors have
different purposes (one floor for a certain crop, another floor for a vegetable, etc) using
hydroponics (water with nutrients). The concept of supplying food in cities is not a new one
as the history of urban agriculture goes back to many ancient civilizations, including the
Mayans, the city of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City today), etc. There are many developments
taking place today that apply the concept of urban agriculture, and the concept of vertical
farming is a large scale extension of urban agriculture.
Methodology:
There were six major steps that took place in this thesis. First, a literature review was
conducted to examine whether or not current agricultural practices were exhausting our
natural resources, and whether it was sensible to explore other farming options. This was
done from a space, energy, health, and climate change perspective. Secondly, a history and
overview of urban agriculture was introduced. The history of urban agriculture was provided
because it offered a sense of the history and development of the concept, its applications in
the past and today, and the advantages and disadvantages associated. Vertical farming, a
subset of urban agriculture, was then introduced to define the scope of the concept within the
thesis.
Thirdly, an investigation took place to quantify the energy flows in the building. A model
was developed that quantified how much energy can be generated on site, and how much
energy will be used on site. The energy generation source was from photovoltaics, and the
energy was used to pump the water, light the building(for indoor cultivation), and ventilate
the building. The limitation of this approach was that one design was investigated. The design
that was investigated came from Dr. Dickson Despommier, a professor at Columbia
University, and he is coined with developing the idea. Different conclusions could have been
reached with different designs, but his design was selected because it was not only from the
innovator of the idea, but also because it was the most practical and realistic out of all the
designs that were surveyed.
Fourthly, a limited life cycle analysis of lettuce grown vertically was quantified. Lettuce was
selected because the life cycle analysis of lettuce grown conventionally (greenhouses and
outdoors) was found in the summer and the winter time in the UK (a study by Dr. Hospido),
and also because a pilot program at the Paignton Zoo in the UK was growing lettuce
vertically, which made a comparison plausible. Because vertical farming is a relatively new
concept, no other studies were found that quantified the footprint of vertically grown
produce. The same carbon conversions that were used in Hospidos studies were usedin this
thesis. Some limitations were present, and theseinclude the fact that the waste stream was not
included in conventionally grown produce (Hospidos study did not quantify this), the
hydroponic nutrient cultureand the carbon emissions associated were not included, and the
two week lettuce development at a separate nursery before the lettuce arrives at the zoo was
also not includedbecause data was not available.
Fifthly, an exploration of social perceptions of relevant stakeholders took place, and this
includes architects, engineers, members of staff at Paignton Zoo, members of staff who sell
the vertical farming technology (Valcent), and the general public. Semi structured interviews
were conducted to explore the concept, and semi structured interviews were selected in order
to explore the concept freely. Interviews were conducted in person, and when not possible, on
the telephone or through e-mail. Interviews were in the UK and this is a limitation. A broader
global audience would have been ideal with more time.
Finally, conclusions were provided on each respective research domain (energy flow, life
cycle analysis, and social exploration), and then general conclusions were drawn from the
research domains.
Results (and/or Analysis):
Quantitatively, the findings indicated that Despommiers original design could not generate
enough energy on site to meet the demands of the buildings (water pumping, lighting, and
ventilation). However, when modifying the dimensions of the building while maintaining a
height of 105 meters (30 stories), the finding was that there were certain dimensions where
enough energy could be generated on site to meet the energy needs of the building. A more
complex model was then developed that took into account building orientation as well as
different amounts of energy generated from the roof and from the faade. The findings
indicate that if a building is in an area of abundant sunlight, then a building with a length and
width between 20.5 meters to 22 meters and a height of 105 meters can generate enough
energy via solar panels on the roof and the faade to meet the lighting and water pumping
requirements.
The life cycle analysis findings indicate that in the summer time, lettuce that is grown
vertically has a carbon footprint that is five times grater than in open fields, while in the
winter, lettuce that is heated has a footprint that is two times greater. The reason that the
footprint is greater is because a majority of the energy that comes in cultivating the crops
verticallycomes from the electricity grid.
When interviewing relevant stakeholders, it was found that architects, engineers, member of
the general public, Valcent staff, and staff at Paignton Zoo have areas of agreement and
disagreement. Engineers believed that an old building could be retrofitted to meet the needs
of the vertical farm, while architects believed that a new build was required. All were in
agreement that costs werean important aspect in deciding whether or not to build the project,
and many agreed that more research was required. A barrier identified was that many people
perceived hydroponics as food made from chemicals and not natural, and therefore could
be a social barrier towards the uptake of produce grown in cities.
Discussion, Conclusions and Implications:
From an energy perspective, the results indicate that vertical farming is feasible in areas that
do not require heating and are in areas that have abundant sunlight. With these conditions,
enough energy could be generated to light the building and pump the water. An area of future
research would be to determine the site specific environmental implications of obtaining
water from areas that have abundant sunlight (primarily desert regions).
From a life cycle perspective, the findings indicate that vertically grown produce has a carbon
footprint that is much higher than conventionally grown produce when sourced from
conventional energy sources. If sourced from renewable energy sources, it can be competitive
compared to conventional produce, but this is an area of future research. An area of future
research would be to do a techno economic study of the concept, as well as a life cycle
analysis that incorporates the waste stream, nutrient culture, and cultivation at the nursery.
From a qualitative perspective, the findings indicate that social barriers as well as technical
barriers do exist for vertical farming. This includes the perception that food grown
hydroponically is not natural. Therefore, if this idea is to be implemented, then an area of
future research would be to see how public awareness campaigns can be orchestrated towards
providing non bias information to members of the general public, and if these campaigns
change opinions before and after exposure to the information. Future research should also be
conducted with stakeholders in site specific locations (places with abundant sunlight).
Overall, vertical farming is a concept that is in its technical infancy. This research suggests
that it is a concept that is feasible in the right geographical areas, and areas with abundant
sunlight seem to be the most promising. Future research should incorporate costs,
maintenance, and environmental impact. Social and technical barriers do exist. The findings
indicate that vertical farming is a tool that can be used to supply food to cities in a sustainable
manner, but this depends on the location and design.