4 ms·

This looks really interesting - but I had couple questions I couldn't find answers to. The FAQ mentions that the annual operating cost is about $12,000/yr, inc

This looks really interesting - but I had couple questions I couldn't find answers to. The FAQ mentions that the annual operating cost is about $12,000/yr, including "growing supplies, electricity, water, and labor." What's the breakdown? I'm kind of surprised, I'd expect electricity costs (for fully artificial light and heating the container through the winter) to be much higher. Also - is there a reason this is better than a greenhouse - where at most you'd need to supplement light during the winter months, as opposed to providing year-round artificial light for all the plant's needs? And finally - the sentence: "LEDs don't put off heat" isn't true. Might want to get that taken out.

grannyg00se 13y ago
The best advantage over a greenhouse seems to be stacking potential but that's only an advantage where square footage is limited. The FAQ on their site seems to gloss over the greenhouse comparison only specifying the following: "It is more versatile, durable and cost effective than traditional greenhouses, and, because of its uniform configuration, it is a more efficient growing solution." Uniform configuration? A greenhouse can be built in any configuration desired. I'd like to see more detail in that comparison.
- krakensden 13y ago
  A greenhouse could, but you'd have to make a bunch of decisions and figure things out by yourself. The nice thing about using standard shipping containers is that lots of people have made the same decision, so there's lots of knowledge and tech that works yesterday. Losing out on all that free clean fusion energy seems like the biggest weakness, to be honest.