Feeding the next generation: Vertical farming 2.0

LettU Growth&ECH Engineering的使命是给垂直农业带来革命性的变化，并帮助养活下一代。我们将通过结合我们的创新灌溉和照明技术来实现这一点，以提高垂直耕作的生产率、质量和可持续性。垂直农场将室内、货架堆叠床、人造灯光和受控环境下的作物无土种植结合在一起。他们能够全年生产作物，不需要农药。该项目将在可行性研究中结合我们的技术，在大规模农场运营中测试和证明效率和产量收益，以展示显著的经济效益，并与传统农业和全球垂直农业市场领先者竞争。2017年1月，全球估计有600个垂直农场在运营(NewBean Capital，2016)，市场价值超过20亿美元，预计到2024年将超过130亿美元(年增长率27%)。英国在这个市场上发挥着越来越大的作用，2018年计划新建和/或扩建10多个农场。我们的目标是成为英国市场灌溉、照明和环境控制技术的主要供应商，并在2020年前向美国、欧洲和中东的关键市场销售。LettU为下一代垂直农场培育设计技术。我们的价值主张有三个方面。我们：·通过我们正在申请专利的灌溉硬件提高作物产量·通过我们的农场管理软件降低农场运营成本·提供研发服务，使农民不必在内部承担这项工作ECH的水冷照明系统通过将LED保持在最佳温度来提高电气效率，以最大化LED的寿命和效率(传统产品中频繁的早期故障通常与热量有关)，并进一步将光强度和热量分离，当在封闭的空间中生长时，这一点很重要，因为它降低了能源密集型暖通空调系统的运行成本。项目团队将强大的科学研究和产品开发技能与受控环境设施的设计和建造经验以及10多年的垂直农业经验结合在一起。

"LettUs Grow & ECH Engineering are on a mission to revolutionise vertical farming and help feed the next generation. We will do this by combining our innovative irrigation and lighting technologies to increase productivity, quality and sustainability of vertical farming.Vertical farms combine soil-free growing of crops indoors, in stacked beds of shelves, under artificial lights and controlled environments. They are able to produce crops all year round, protected from the elements, without the requirement for pesticides.The project will combine our technologies in a feasibility study to test and prove, in a large-scale farm operation, the efficiency and yield gains to demonstrate significant economic benefits and compete with traditional agriculture and global vertical farming market leaders.In January 2017 an estimated 600 vertical farms were in operation globally (Newbean Capital, 2016), in a market valued at over $2 billion and estimated to exceed $13 billion by 2024 (27% annual growth). The UK plays a growing part in this market, with over 10 new farm builds and/or expansions planned for 2018\. We aim to be the principal supplier of irrigation, lighting, and environmental control technology to the UK market and target sales into key markets in the US, Europe, and Middle East by 2020\.LettUs Grow design technology for the next generation of vertical farms. Our value proposition is three-fold. We:• increase crop yields through our patent-pending irrigation hardware• reduce farm operational costs through our farm management software• provide R&D services so that farmers don't have to undertake it internallyECH's water-cooled lighting system improves electrical efficiency by maintaining LED's at an optimal temperature to maximise LED life and efficiency (frequent early failures in traditional products are typically heat related), and furthermore decouples the light intensity and heat, which is important when growing in an enclosed space as it reduces the running costs of energy intensive HVAC systems.The project team combines strong scientific research and product development skills with experience in design and build of controlled environment facilities and over 10 years' experience in vertical farming."