Project Details

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Sustainable Automated Vertical Plant Factory

Company: PSU Plant Institute

Major(s):
Primary: EGEE
Secondary: ME
Optional: CMPEN, EE

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Vertical farming, also referred to as plant factories, has been proposed as a solution to increase food production in places where food availability is partially or fully limited. By using artificial LED lighting to replace sunlight, vertical farming enables year-round food production independent of weather and seasonal constraints. However, this strong reliance on technology has made vertical farming energy intensive, limiting its scalability and reducing its potential impact on the global food supply. Over the past decade, the vertical farming industry has struggled to demonstrate that it can be a sustainable business model and a major contributor to local food security. This lack of success can be attributed to limited industry experience and to major system design flaws, which have led to higher costs and inefficient production. This project aims to identify flaws in existing vertical farming system designs and to develop solutions that increase energy efficiency while maximizing productivity and water conservation. The team will be required to deliver a high level of automation while minimizing electricity use. This objective may be achieved by relying on passive tray movement and conveyor-based transport systems. The team will be asked to compare multiple design solutions and clearly articulate the rationale behind the proposed approach. Using resources available at EDI and across campus—including the Indoor Plant Physiology Laboratory—the team will build a prototype capable of remote operation. The team will also develop an AI-based control model that enables autonomous system operation while maximizing overall resource efficiency. The success of this project will be based on the delivery of one of the following outcomes: (1) a functional component of the final production system, (2) a small-scale automated prototype, or (3) an advanced 3D design detailing all major components of a potential full-scale build.