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According to [1], lettuce grown by California farmers cost 993,567,000/84,000 = $11,900 per acre. According to this article, electricity and power costs $216,
by vilhelm_s 8y ago
According to [1], lettuce grown by California farmers cost
993,567,000/84,000 = $11,900 per acre.
According to this article, electricity and power costs $216,000 for a 30,000-square-foot vertical farm, or $313,000/acre.
It seems hard to make that competitive.
[1] https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Overview/stateOverview.php?state=california https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Overview/stateOverv...
- joshuamcginnis 8y ago$993,567,000 is the total value of lettuce production for the year, not the cost.
- vilhelm_s 8y agoI guess it's about the same? I imagine the profit margins are not very high.
- philliphaydon 8y agoWould the yield per acre be higher because of no need for pesticides, and less loss of bad quality yields? Cos we know organic is more expensive as it yields far less than gm crops. And would crops grow faster with 24/7 sunlight vs 12 hours?!?
- saalweachter 8y agoI mean, the reason all of these vegetables are grown in California is basically because it is already a controlled environment. It's sunny all the time, and it doesn't get much rain, so you are just irrigating at the optimal time for the crop in question.
- cryptonector 8y agoYeah, but that's at a profit, so the costs are less, which makes vertical agriculture even less competitive.
- rorykoehler 8y agoElectricity will essentially be free within 30 years
- gitgud 8y agoBased on what?... I have always thought that nuclear fusion would make electricity almost completely free though
- rorykoehler 8y agoBased on the cost trend for renewables. You know the way you can buy computer chips for 1¢ or even less now? The same is happening with solar. https://www.resilience.org/wp-content/uploads/articles/General/2013/04_Apr/disruptive-solar.png https://www.resilience.org/wp-content/uploads/articles/Gener...
- Faaak 8y agoElectricity energy may be, but you'd still need to pay for the network, ancillary services, etc...