Vertical Farm Energy & Backup — LED, HVAC, Battery, Genset & RFQ
LEDs dominate. HVAC-D is a close second. In a vertical farm energy is 30–60% of opex — genset and battery sizing decides whether the model works.
How are these load assumptions derived?
Figures are reference values from typical commercial projects — real numbers depend on climate, crop, motor selection (DOL vs VFD), controls topology and outage-risk tolerance. Use them to frame the RFQ; final sizing is confirmed by the winning EPC and OEM as part of the engineered proposal.
Reference figures. Real specs and pricing come from the qualified suppliers that respond to your private RFQ. SeedMatchGroup does not resell equipment.
Core loads: LED lighting arrays, HVAC-D (heat pumps + dehumidifiers), recirculation pumps, dosing, CO₂ enrichment, controls and pack-house.
LED load is highly steerable — an EMS with dimming and staggered photoperiods flattens the peak and cuts required genset kVA by 20–40%.
Typical load assumptions
Continuous vs peak vs critical (must-survive-an-outage) loads by project scale. Motor starting inrush is 4–7× nameplate for direct-on-line and ~1.5–2× on VFDs — genset kVA must cover the worst-case inrush without voltage collapse.
| Project scale | Continuous | Peak / inrush | Critical load | Runtime target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 m² pilot | 30–60 kW | 60–100 kW | 8–15 kW | 12–24 h |
| 1000 m² commercial | 180–320 kW | 350–550 kW | 35–60 kW | 12–24 h |
| 3000 m² industrial | 550–950 kW | 1000–1600 kW | 100–180 kW | 24 h+ |
| 10,000 m² mega-facility | 1.8–3.2 MW | 3–5 MW | 350–600 kW | 24 h+ |
Recommended generator & storage setups
Vendor-neutral reference stacks — diesel or gas generator, LFP battery storage, optional solar PV, ATS and controls. Hybrid stacks let solar and battery serve daytime load while the genset only starts on demand.
| Scale | Generator | Battery (LFP) | Solar PV | ATS / controls | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 m² | 80–125 kVA diesel | 40–80 kWh LFP | Optional 30–60 kWp | ATS + EMS + LED dimming | Battery bridges LED restart + HVAC compressors. |
| 1000 m² | 400–500 kVA prime | 150–300 kWh LFP | 200–400 kWp | ATS + EMS + SCADA | Photoperiod stagger cuts peak 20–30%. |
| 3000 m² | 1000–1500 kVA (parallel) | 400–800 kWh LFP | 500–1200 kWp | Paralleling + full EMS | Hybrid + peak-shaving mandatory for opex. |
| 10,000 m² | 3–5 MVA prime (parallel) | 1500–3000 kWh LFP | 2–5 MWp | Full SCADA + demand response | Grid-tie plus behind-the-meter storage; N+1 gensets. |
- EMS-driven LED dimming + photoperiod stagger — biggest single opex lever.
- Heat-pump HVAC-D with heat recovery — dehumidification load doubles as heating in winter.
- LFP battery for peak-shaving demand charges (often the biggest line on the bill).
- N+1 HVAC and pump redundancy; UPS on controls, dosing and network.
- Grid-tie hybrid where possible — export at peak solar cuts payback further.
Related energy resources
FAQ
RFQ — Vertical farm energy & backup
Prefilled from this energy application. Review and adjust — a dedicated sourcing specialist dispatches the RFQ privately to qualified global suppliers and integrators.