Summary / Reader Response Draft #2
In the article “Sky Urban Vertical Farming System” (The Index Project, n.d.), the Index Project conveys that the company Sky Greens uses the world’s first hydraulic-driven vertical system. Rainwater and gravity are heavily utilized in Sky Green’s Vertical Farming System. The rainwater works with gravity by flowing from an upper tank containing rainwater down to a water pulley system which rotates the trays towards sunlight and waters the trays of plants with rainwater. After flowing through the water pulley system, the used rainwater flows into a generator which powers the pump which directs the used rainwater back to the upper tank. Sky Greens also emerged victorious for the INDEX award in 2015, an internationally prestigious award for remarkable designs that improve lives. The Index Project quotes “Although the concept of vertical farming has been around for over a century, very few have been able to master the technique like Singaporean company Sky Greens” (The Index Project, n.d., para. 2). Sky Greens eliminates the use of LED lights resulting in lower usage of electricity. Therefore, they have “the lowest possible negative effect on the environment” (Zaręba et al., 2021, para. 8.2). Such farms will aid in Singapore’s plan of 30 by 30’, envisioning to “produce 30% of our nutritional needs locally by the year 2030” (Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, 2023, Grow Local section, para. 6). In light of vertical farming industries making significant progress, through the efficient use of electricity and engineering, Singapore’s ’30 by 30’ goal is highly probable.
Sky Green’s usage of the vertical farming system is indeed effective in the Singapore context. According to the Singapore Food Agency, due to Singapore’s land scarcity, only 1% of land has been allocated to food production. (Singapore Food Agency, n.d.). Sky Green’s vertical farming system houses 38 shelves of crops which uses minimal land while producing large amounts of crops and has minimal usage of only 0.5 litres of water daily for each structure while keeping the essence of traditional farming methods, which often rely heavily on electricity and artificial lighting. This is all in line with Singapore’s ’30 by 30’ goal on land usage. Sky Green is also the world’s first company to design a hydraulic water pulley system that is suitable for tropical area usage. (Permaculture News, 2014) Their innovative and sustainable design gained global attention, which led to them winning the INDEX award in 2015.
The three components of Sky Green’s vertical farming system, the water pulley system, the generator and the overheard water tank work hand in hand to tend to the crops at Sky Greens. Rainwater is first collected in the overhead water tank, the rainwater then flows down to the water pulley system. The rainwater flowing down will cause the pulley system to rotate the crops towards sunlight “to ensure uniform distribution of sunlight, good airflow, and irrigation for all the plants.”(Permaculture News, 2014, p.6) This also allows the usage of fewer LED lights. Each of Sky Green’s vertical farming system towers only uses 40 W of electricity, which is equivalent to only one light bulb. (Sky Greens, n.d.) Thereafter, the used rainwater will flow further downwards to a generator. The rainwater flowing down will force the generator rotor to spin causing the mechanical energy generated by the descending water to be transformed into electrical energy. (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2022) This electrical energy powers a pump responsible for returning the rainwater to the upper tank, creating a self-sustaining cycle. This innovative approach not only minimizes water wastage but also significantly reduces the need for external energy sources, making full use of the collected rainwater.
However, due to Singapore being a tropical climate, global warming and unpredictable fluctuating rainfall can pose a serious obstacle to Sky Greens' rainwater-dependent farming system. In the report “Annual Climate Assessment Singapore”(Metrological Service Singapore, 2022), it was mentioned that there were at least 11 days of no rain in Singapore in 2022 despite 2022 being the 6th wettest year since 1980. If the days of no rain were longer for years with lesser rainfall, Sky Green’s rainwater usage for its vertical farming system may not be able to function to its fullest ability.
In conclusion, Sky Greens mastered the usage of vertical farming and supports Singapore’s ’30 by 30’ goal of reducing land use while ensuring sustainability as demonstrated through their rainwater usage for their water pulley system. While they may continue encountering occasional challenges with rainwater availability in Singapore’s climate, their overall approach contributes positively to sustainability.
Reference
The Index Project. (n.d.). Sky Urban Vertical Farming System: Vertical farms to boost veggie output with minimum space.
https://theindexproject.org/award/winnersandfinalists/the-sky-urban-vertical-farming-system
Zaręba, A., Krzemińska, A., & Kozik, R. (2021). Urban Vertical Farming as an Example of Nature-Based Solutions Supporting a Healthy Society Living in the Urban Environment; 10(11), 109. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources10110109
Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. (2023, March 02). Speech by Senior Minister of State Dr Koh Poh Koon – Food and Climate Resilience.
https://www.mse.gov.sg/resource-room/category/2023-03-02-speech-by-sms-koh-poh-koon-at-cos-2023
Singapore Food Agency (n.d.). Why is SFA embarking on this exercise to master plan Lim Chu Kang?
https://www.ourfoodfuture.gov.sg/faqs
Ravindra Krishnamurthy. (2014, July 25). Vertical Farming: Singapore’s Solution to Feed the Local Urban Population.
Sky Greens. (n.d.). Sky Greens Vertical Farming System – The world’s first low carbon hydraulic commercial farming system
https://www.skygreens.com/technology/
U.S. Energy Information Adminstration. (2022, November 9). Electricity explained How electricity is generated.
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/how-electricity-is-generated.php#:~:text=In%20a%20turbine%20generator%2C%20a,the%20rotor%20to%20electrical%20energy.
Meteorological Service Singapore. (n.d.). 2022 Annual Climate Assessment Singapore.
https://www.weather.gov.sg/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ACAR_2022.pdf
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