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In 2017, utilities and energy experts noticed a spike in electric demand. After 20 or so years of stable low growth, it was first posited that the increase in electric vehicles on U.S. roads and building electrification (e.g. swapping out fossil fuel-burning furnaces for electric heat pumps) was driving this boom. As Wesley Whited, a…

The vertical farming company received nearly $49 million in USDA loan guarantees. Here, the company shares some of the work that went into the process.   The process Vertical Harvest Farms, a hydroponic, vertical farming company with facilities in Wyoming and Maine, went through to get a USDA loan guarantee was a months-long affair full…

Building an optimal cultivation environment takes careful consideration of all heat and moisture sources.   Identifying the ideal Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system size is a critical stride toward resource-efficient Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). Cultivating crops in precisely regulated conditions demands a tailored approach, acknowledging factors like crop diversity, facility dimensions, and location…

The pursuit of optimal crop yields and resource efficiency has led to groundbreaking innovations in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facility design. The popularization of light-emitted diode (LED) fixtures in recent years has preceded a boom in vertical farming in both indoor and greenhouse environments. These tiered systems allow operators to maximize production by multiplying their…

CEA operators (including cannabis growers) may or may not be aware that their facility upgrade projects might be eligible for various incentive and rebate projects that can offset costs for a variety of equipment, or even make those projects economically feasible. To help understand how these programs work and their requirements and opportunities, Cody Allen,…