TEPCO launches huge vertical farm reliant on artificial light in Japan

In the latest development, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc has launched an indoor vertical farm in Japan having production capacity of 5 tons a day – reportedly one of the largest facilities depending only on artificial lighting.

According to the company, the farm operations started with a total floor space of about 9,000 square meters last week in Shizuoka Prefecture, to grow leafy greens by utilizing light-emitting diodes.

The company aims to initially produce about 1 ton of vegetables per day and is planning to increase the output to 5 tons a day by next year.

Vertical farming relying only on artificial lighting has been drawing attention as it’s not affected by undesirable weather conditions and other risks, the TEPCO unit said.

Such facilities are also likely to provide solutions for some of the problems faced by Japanese farming industry, such as a decline in the count of farmers and the ageing of those still working the land, it added.

TEPCO Energy Partner also stated that an indoor environment enables operators to better maintain the quality and freshness of products, which can help reduce the wastage of food products.

“We would like to make the most of our energy-saving technologies,” said an official of the company. “Since it’s indoor, vegetables are resistant to abnormal weather, and they are also safe because they are grown without using agrichemicals.”