Vertical farms use a median of ~800 kWh/m²
But only 1.0–1.3X more energy per kilogram of crop than other systems
814 kWh/m²
required to maintain year-round production
8x
the amount of energy needed to maintain a greenhouse
1-1.3x
however, when accounting for yield, that disparity is considerably smaller.
Mechanism
Across the report's case-study dataset, vertical farms require an annual median of 814 kWh/m² to maintain year-round production. This compares to 97 kWh/m² for greenhouses and 20 kWh/m² for soil-based systems, an enormous disparity when measured strictly by area.
Consequence
That gap narrows dramatically when factoring in yield. Because vertical farms pack significantly more crops into the same footprint, their energy intensity per kilogram harvested is only 1.05 to 1.32 times higher than greenhouse or soil-based systems, respectively.
Nuance
The report explicitly notes that carbon outcomes are highly dependent on local grid composition. A vertical farm powered by a clean grid will have different real-world emissions than one on a coal-heavy grid, despite identical kWh consumption.
Design Implication
Evaluating farm typologies based solely on energy-per-area systematically misrepresents the true energy cost of vertical farming. Design and investment decisions must rely on yield-adjusted metrics to accurately capture performance.