Maybe you’re accustomed to growing your veggies outside in the garden, but in parts of the world where storms and droughts are definite possibilities other options need to be explored.
Japanese plant physiologist Shigeharu Shimamura was working in eastern Japan when it was badly hit by an earthquake and tsunamis in 2011. That’s when Shimamura decided to turn a former Sony Corporation semiconductor factory into the world’s largest indoor farm illuminated by LEDs.
The LED fixtures were developed by General Electric and emit light at wavelengths optimal for plant growth.
How powerful is the farm?
The farm is 25,000 square feet (about half the size of a football field) and is already producing 10,000 heads of lettuce per day since its July opening.
The 17,500 LED lights spread out over 18 cultivation racks that reach 15 levels high make it all possible for Shimamura. They allow him to control night and day cycles to accelerate the plant growth.
The system allows him to grow lettuce full of vitamins and minerals at more than half of the time it takes on a traditional farm. He is also able to cut discarded produce from 50 percent to just 10 percent of the harvest.
According to Shimamura, the farms productivity per square foot is up 100-fold.
By controlling temperature, humidity and irrigation, the farm can also cut its water usage to just 1% of the amount needed by outdoor fields.
GE engineers made the lights thin enough to fit inside the stacks, provide uniform light, and endure the high humidity inside.
The GE Japan team believes that indoor farms like this one could solve food shortages in the world. They are already working on “plant factories” in Hong Kong and the Far East of Russia.
Story and images via General Electric.
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