UK: Scotland’s renewables to boost vertical farming credentials

Scotland’s increasing use of renewable energy could make vertical farming techniques more climate-friendly than the traditional ways our greens are grown in fields, according to researchers in Aberdeen. The experts at The James Hutton Institute initially found that using indoor, controlled farming methods for growing lettuce would emit more carbon than traditional open-field methods, based on Scottish energy use in 2019. But that increased use of renewables for power – which accounts for up to 91% of the carbon footprint of vertical farming – could now mean it’s on a par with UK open-field grown lettuce in terms of its environmental credentials. With 100% renewable electricity and further improvements in the technique, emissions from indoor growing could fall further to less than other traditional growing methods, including Spanish-grown lettuce and lettuce grown in UK-heated greenhouses. But even with 100% renewable energy, vertical farming has still yet to achieve carbon ...