Database research record2025·Global
Vertical farming limitations and potential demonstrated by back-of-the-envelope calculations
Lovat S., Noor E., Milo R.
Plant Physiology
Urban Farm DB summary
The analysis shows vertical farming requires large amounts of energy and, under the recent average electricity mix, could substantially increase greenhouse gas emissions with limited land benefit; it is not cost-competitive with cereals or pulses and only marginally so for tomatoes and lettuce.