Indoor Farming: Bringing Down the Energy Bill

Indoor farming is expensive. One of the biggest reasons is that energy needs are so high.?

Indoor farming is also not (as) sustainable (as some claim). One of the biggest reasons… you guessed it… is that energy needs are so high.?

In fact, I’d go as far to say that reducing the energy needs of indoor farms - reducing COGs and reducing C02e - is perhaps the biggest hurdle on the critical path to unlocking the true potential of this technology when applied to global food systems.?

For those following along, you'll know this is a primary driver behind Square Roots 's work with heterotrophic growing - aka “growing plants in the dark” . With this initiative, all the benefits of indoor farming remain (such as year-round ability to grow food, zero use of pesticides, and efficient use of water and land compared to outdoor field farming), but the system can now operate with radically reduced light levels and therefore radically reduced energy needs. This translates directly to lower production costs (cheaper food) and lower carbon emissions (smaller environmental footprint) - ultimately making indoor farming much more viable for a broader range of crops and global markets.?

Everyone in the industry can be part of this solution - even if you're not doing anything as radical as heterotrophic growing! There's a simple process to follow: understand your current footprint; put reduction initiatives in place; and then measure progress towards new lower targets.

But knowing how to actually get started can seem daunting. So it’s really encouraging to see so many folks coming together to publish this “Guide to Environmental Accounting and Reporting for Controlled Environment Agriculture” . This white paper, published by the Resource Innovation Institute , is very digestible, highly actionable, and chock-full of practical recommendations on what KPIs to track (for energy use, and other resources including water), how to report them, etc. If you’re in indoor farming, it’s a must read. Download it here .???

Big thanks to the authors, editors, and contributors including Carmen Azzaretti , Derek Smith , Brian MacIver , Eric Brody and Julia Cohen , along with great work from the project team including @hbouline, @gillondobie, Michele Grossman, Laura Hann, Erik Lundgren, Douglas Meikle CA, @meiselmatthew, @colinboneil, Annie Wissemeier , Jonathan Cohen, LEED Green Assoc. @vonnieestes, Julia Kurnik , Michael Martin, Tom Stenzel, and Thomas Zoellner.

#CEA #Sustainability #Indoorfarming #EnergyUse