Plant Factory (PF) Industry

and recent research in Taiwan

Wei FANG

Dept. of Bio-Industrial Mechatronics Engineering

National Taiwan University

2015.05.20 ~ 05.22

1

Outline

1. Introduction

2. Some numbers

3. Business models

4. Recent researches

5. Conclusion

2

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)

Plant Factory with

Artificial Light (PF_AL)Greenhouse: Plant Factory with

sunlight and/or supplemental light

Location of Taiwan

4

NTU

A brief history of PF_AL in Taiwan (1/3)

National Taiwan University

supported by NSF, Taiwan

5

First PF_AL related research

1993

20 ft. container with

thermally insulated walls

Lots of stress

6

7

If the plant can talk,

!!HELP!! S O S

SOP based CEA

8

Much less in risk / stress

Can PF_AL make

us richer, smarter,

greener, healthier,

and happier?9

NTU1996

LED related

research

A brief history of PF_AL in Taiwan (2/3)

10

Pulse light with adjustable intensity,

duty ratio, frequency

Patents:

2001 Taiwan

2001 China

2002 US

• PF_AL for tissue culture and for

Phalaenopsis seedling production with

movable light was developed in 2001.

• Two stories building with 7 layers each.

Central

Taiwan

Caps with various spectrums were developed

Essential 8 for Tissue cultureFang，2008

B401~500nm

G501~600nm

R601~700nm

IR701~800nm

CW (5500 K) 26 % 46 26 2

WW (2700 K) 10 45 41 4

8R1B 13 87

7R1G1B 13 7 80

3R3B3IR 46 42 12

6R 100

6B 100

6IR 100

11

Totally 27 spectrums of caps and tubes

were developed for TC and PF applicationsFang，2009

13

Can PF_AL make

us richer, smarter,

greener, healthier,

and happier?14

Open field

< 3 kg/m2/year15

Semi-closed: Greenhouse

69 kg/m2/year16

4 layers > 100 kg/m2/year

Closed: PF_AL

7 layers > 200 kg/m2/year

Closed: PF_AL

More than 100 times compare with open field production

10 layers > 300 kg/m2/year

Closed: PF_AL

More than 100 times?

Same amount of floor area

100 times of yield/value

Same amount of yield

99% of floor area can be saved

Paid for only 1% of land

Labor cost can also be saved

20

Can PF_AL make

us richer, smarter,

greener, healthier,

and happier?21

Price of Land vs. cost of Lamp

When the land is limited or

very expensive,

PF_AL is a good option for

food production.

22

Taipei

NTU

A brief history of PF in Taiwan (3/3)

Public attention of

PF_AL for the first time :

2010 Taipei Floral Expo

• booth of PF: 8 m x 50 m

• duration: one month,

8:00~21:00

Promotion (step 1/4)

• An experimental pilot plant factory was setup in NTU (2011.1.1)

• Up to now, more than 2200 visitors

Renovated from a discarded roof-top greenhouse

24

Demo facility

Wind + solar power assisted: 13 kW

Promotion (step 2/4)

2010Fang

2011Kozai

2011Takatsuji

2012Kozai

2013Fang

25

Books published

Promotion (step 3/4)

• Started from 2011, twice per year at the Extension center

of NTU

• More than 460 people were trained

• From various Industrial/Business/Agriculture sectors

26

Workshops (30 hrs)

Partners and Interested Parties

Research and educational institutions

Governments

Real estate developers and builders

Construction companies

HVAC industry

Electronics industry

Supermarkets

Restaurants

Institutional food services (hospitals, schools, etc.)

Consumers

Media

Etc.

Promotion (step 4/4)

27

NGOs

TPFIDA

CPFA

光茵均旺

野菜工房

麗萊登

詮興開發

庭茂農業

慶聲科技

賽門科技

工研院

台灣大學

富士通台灣植物工廠產業發展協會中華植物工廠協會

旺永

中華映管

銘祥科技

聚陽光能

晶發半導體

東大一

工研院南分院

金工中心唐榮集團

寰宇綠色

28

2013 Industrial

MAP

澳登堡、三愛、贏創、寰宇研華、創森、金寶、金頓

萬能科大、苗廣豐、賀田、野菜工房

麗萊登

詮興開發、中砂、綠舍天地

庭茂、太平洋、矽新連展、鐳德

慶聲科技

工研院

台灣大學、光茵、浩然、驊陞科技Avata、宇通物聯、億昇

日本大阪府立大學太平総研株式会社日本未來株式会社台灣植物工廠產業發展協會中華植物工廠協會農漁畜牧LED應用產業推動聯盟台灣智慧農業產業聯誼會台灣農業跨領域發展協會(AMOT)台灣經濟研究院創業投資商業同業公會

農試所、旺永

賽門科技、大同、華映、台達

益菱、銘祥科技

聚陽光能

晶發半導體

東大一

高海大屏科大台灣福蝦台灣重工聯邦奈泡綠陽光電

海博特、盛貽綠能金工中心、唐榮集團

富員、久德、欣陽、映興

太極光

碩園、樂佳

李時珍、振宇農業

精鑽、皇基、中興、大葉

德能科研、雅聞、尚懋

昊耕、成功大學

農委會

29

2014 Industrial

MAP

Outline

1. Introduction

2. Some numbers

3. Business models

4. Recent researches

5. Conclusion

30

Vegetables consumption per person per day

31

CountryDaily consumption of

vegetables /person/ day

South Korea 578 g

Spain 392 g

France 389 g

USA 337 g

Japan 285 g

Singapore 260 g (95 kg/yr)

Australia 255 g

UK 249 g

The Netherland / Taiwan 200 g (73 kg/yr)

How big is the market in Taiwan

• Local for Local

• 1 % of population (0.23 million)

• 200 g of leafy greens per day per person

• 460 PF_ALs with

daily production of

1000 plants@100 g FW per plant

32

Status of PF_AL in Taiwan (2014.6)

Around 45 parties involved

Around 56 plant factories

33

51 parties involved

62 plant factories

44

5

(2015.5)

Sites for PF_ALs in Taiwan

• Urban:

– One story of a building: many

– Renovated from unused

factory: some

basement: 2

karaoke store: 1

rooftop greenhouse: 1

• Rural

– In greenhouse: 2 (Agri. land)

34

Scale of PF_AL in Taiwan

80% PF_ALs are small (less than 500 plants per day).

35

ISO

ISO 9001 (1)

ISO 22000 (1)

36

Yasai Lab.

Largest in Taiwan

Daily：2.5 tons

Bench: H 7 m, L 30 m

Area: 400 ping (1 ping=3.3 m2)

1.8 million plants

Pad and Fan for cooling

Movable light panels

Retail Price (same with GH crops)

Before: 200NT$/kg

Recent: 92 NT$/kg (3 US$/kg)

Projected Monthly revenue (Max)：6.9 Million NT$

37

Types of Artificial Light developed

• LED tubes: 15~20 companies

– 80~120 lm/W

– 1.2 m (14 W, 20 W), 1.8 m (28W) ：600 (¥1800 ~ 4500)

• LED panels: 10~15

– 50 cm x 60 cm (30 W)000 ~ 1500 NT$ (¥3000 ~ 4500)

• T5 tube: 3~4

– 1.2 m (30 W)

• CCFL: 1 company

– 單價：70 ~ 150 NT$ (¥210 ~ 450)

38

Spectrum of artificial light

• More than 35 types

–White: with various color temperature

–UVA + White

–White + Red

–Red and Blue: various combinations

–R, G, B: various combinations

39

Recent

development

by Taiwanese

companies

1 FL +

14 spectrums

of LED

panels or

tubes

40

Outline

1. Introduction

2. Some numbers

3. Business models

4. Recent researches

5. Conclusion

41

Business models

1. Mass production + sale of vegetable

2. Mass production + various product lines

3. Mass production + Restaurant chain

4. Mass production + Experience Economy

5. Mass production + (organic) food store chain

6. Home appliance provider (including indoor green-wall)

7. Home appliance provider + Construction company

8. Shop use appliance provider

9. Aquaponic system provider focusing on CSA

10. Education: workshop, seminar, tours

11. Consultation

12. Turn key provider who never grow plants

13. Turn key provider with demo site

42

Mass production + sale of vegetable

• RTE, RTC

– membership

– Web

– High price Restaurants

• EAW, CAW

– Regular Restaurant

– Wholesale

– Supermarket

43

Mass production + various product lines

44

45

Mass production + chain Restaurant

2010 2013 2014

46

2010: 1 mass production center + 1 restaurant2014: 1 mass production center + 8 restaurants2015: 1 + 9

Mass production + Experience Economy

Full of great

memories and

great taste

47

Mass production + (organic) food store chain

48

Home appliance

49

50

51

52

53

54

UV

TiO2

+

55

Shop appliance

56

Light Farm驊陞科技

Energizing

Green

Life

Home unit

Close view

Home unit + Shop unit

Accessory Kit

Turnkey provider with demo site

• 2013.11

– 400 plts/day, 300 m2

• 2014.4

– 300 plts/day, 165 m2

• 2014.9

– 800 plts/day, 495 m2

• 2015.4 (under construction)

– 300 plts/day, 165 m2

PF_AL inside an office building

Turn-key Provided by Taiwan companies

66

Outline

1. Introduction

2. Some numbers

3. Business models

4. Recent researches

5. Conclusion

67

Recent researches

68

SystemsCultural Practice

Mecha-tronics

ICT

– Quantitative measures and improvement of performance in PF_AL

– Yield prediction based on nutrient uptake / water uptake in PF_AL

– Development of PF Growth model derived from greenhouse growth model assuming CO2,

DLI, nitrate in solution are constants

– Real time measurement of 3 D and fresh weight of hydroponically grown lettuce

in PF_AL

– Ion-selective sensing of macro-elements in hydroponic system

– New light source (OLED) for functional plants, Spectrums for red leaf lettuce

– Disinfection：Generation of electrolysis water for disinfection in PF

Recent researches

69

SystemsCultural Practice

Mechatronics

ICT

– Application of elite phototrophic bacterial inoculant to reduce nitrate content & enhance

growth of leafy greens in PF_AL

– Development of generic hydroponic culturing system

– New crops/functional plants with high nutritional and/or economical value

• WSN / IOT applied in PF_AL

• Fuel cell applied in PF_AL

• Traceability of PF products

Factors affecting efficacy and cost

effectiveness of light source on bench

• Light source:

– LED, CCFL, FL (T5, T8), etc.tube, panel, etc.

– Number of lamps/chips used

– Interval between lamps

• Reflectors:

– Overhead: types

– 2 sides, 4 sides, etc.

• Distance from light to plants

• Growth area covered (LAI)

70

Quantitative measures (1/4)

• Lm/W is no good for horticultural lighting

• PPF/W is wrong, should be

PPF x Area (in m2) / W

• PPF x Area / W = µmol / J

71

QE ratio

Too far away from light to plant

QE ratio

T5 FLs at 10 cm interval

T5 FLs at 20 cm interval w/ reflector

73

ArrangementQE ratiomol/J

1.0

1.2

1.3

1.6

1.8

Reflectors make a great difference

in improving the QE ratio

74

With reflector

PPF increase from 113 to 229 mol/m2/s

Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp

Efficiency of light source is too low

Lighting efficiency (QE Ratio)

Comp_Spec

of Light

sources

Reflectors

on top

No. of tubes

or panels

PPF*

μmol m-2 s-1

PPF x Area

( μmol s-1 )

Power

consumption,

W

QE ratio

μmol J-1

S_CW1.8 Y 6 Tubes 334.9 ± 86.6 723.4 172.97 4.2

T_V Y 9 tubes 281.6 ± 59.4 608.4 195 3.1

H_CW Y 9 tubes 273.9 ± 79.8 73.9 212 3.1

T_A Y 9 tubes 225.8 ± 49.1 487.8 189 2.6

E_CW Y 9 tubes 263.8 ± 64.2 569.8 228 2.5

T_A no need 12 panels 411.5 ± 103.2 888.9 432 2.1

T_N Y 9 tubes 186.7 ± 39.3 403.2 196 2.1

E_WW Y 9 tubes 210.8 ± 51.0 455.3 229 2.0

T_N no need 12 panels 378.4 ± 95.4 809.6 428 1.9

T_M Y 9 tubes 168.0 ± 39.1 326.9 193 1.9

T_M no need 12 panels 387.3 ± 99.4 836.5 442 1.9

T_Y Y 9 tubes 168.3 ± 34.7 363.5 188 1.9

S_R no need 12 panels 291.0 ± 71.3 628.6 334 1.9

T5FL_CW Y 9 tubes 250.0 ± 57.5 540 283 1.9

* Measured at 10 cm distance under light except the T5FL treatment (at 20 cm distance)

** Area of culture Bed on bench per layer = 1.8 m x 1.2 m = 2.16 m2

76

Quantitative measures (1/4)

• Some numbers to take home:

77

µmol / J Comment

< 2.0 Get help

2 ~ 2.5 Poor

2.5 ~ 3.0 Average

3.0 ~ 4.0 Good

> 4.0 Excellent* PPF is measured at 10 cm distance under light

Efficient LED tubes

• Feature: longer tube

– 1.2 m (20W) 1.8 m (28.8 W) at same price

– for 1.8 m x 1.2 m growth area

• 9 x 1.2 m tubes 6 x 1.8 m tubes

• No. of tubes reduced by 1/3

• Fixed cost reduced by 1/3

• Installation time reduced by 1/3

78

Feature: adjustable angle

Reflectors at both ends can be removed

Efficient LED tubes

79

old

new

LED lamps

80

Rotating angle of

end tubesPPFavg

μmol m-2 s-1

PPFavg x Area

μmol/s

Power consumption, W

Efficiencyμmol/J

S_CW1.8

(0 degree)313.6 ± 69.8 677.5 172.97 3.9

S_CW1.8

(20 degree)326.2 ± 77.4 704.6 172.97 4.1

S_CW1.8

(40 degree)334.9 ± 86.6 723.4 172.97 4.2

* Power consumption per tube is 28.83 W, number of LED tube used is 6 per cultural bed.

81

Efficient LED tubes

Quantitative measures (2/4)

• Knowing µmol / J (QE ratio) is not enough

We defined two new terms

1. QY: g_FW/mole of photons providedfrom seeding (sowing) to harvest

2. PY: g_FW/degree of power consumedfrom seeding (sowing) to harvest

82

Quantitative measures (3/4)

83

µmol/J

g_FW/mole provided

g_FW------------

degree of power

consumed

Effect of spectrums, nutrient, and all other environmental

and cultural related parameters/conditions can be

evaluated quantitatively.

Power consumption of artificial light

for Lettuce production:

100 g_FW < 1.5 degree

QY

PYPY / QY inmole/degree

Quantitative measures (4/4)

84

g_FW x $/g

degree x $/degree

Revenue

---------Elec. cost

With the price and electricity cost values available,

business decision can be made, status of integrated

technologies can be evaluated.

Worldwide electricity fee per degree

85

http://theenergycollective.com

Taiwan

4 types of LED panel, 2 types of lettuce

86

Which crop make better use of light?

Lettuce 1 Lettuce 2 PY/QY

QYg/mole

PYg/deg.

QYg/mole

PYg/deg.

mole/deg. ratio

LED1 32.2 44.2 18.5 25.3 1.4 1

LED2 31.1 101.2 22.0 71.6 3.3 2.35

LED3 34.4 67.0 20.7 40.4 1.9 1.35

LED4 32.0 74.8 20.1 46.9 2.3 1.64

Avg. 32 72 20 46

Lettuce 1 generate 60% more biomass under same amount of light. (g/mol)

Lettuce 1 generate 56% more biomass under same power consumption. (g/deg)

87

Which LED is the best for the crop?Lettuce 1 Lettuce 2 PY/QY

QYg/mole

PYg/deg.

QYg/mole

PYg/deg.

mole/deg. ratio

LED1 32.2 44.2 18.5 25.3 1.4 1

LED2 31.1 101.2 22.0 71.6 3.3 2.35

LED3 34.4 67.0 20.7 40.4 1.9 1.35

LED4 32.0 74.8 20.1 46.9 2.3 1.64

Avg. 32 72 20 46

biomass production per power consumption: LED2 > LED4 > LED3 > LED1 for both lettuce

(can be seen under PY and mol/deg)

88

Mobility of lamps

Back & ForthAutomatic up & down

based on plant height

89

90

Wireless sensing of T, RH and PPF

Light

sensorT, RH

sensors

FW：75.6 g FW：61.2 g

FW：30.9 g

91

WSN / IOT in PF_AL

Automatic real time measurement of

3 D image and fresh weight

92

Imaging System

Weighing System

User Interface

93

F型手臂

馬達

攝影機

F arm

motor

camera

Automatic measurement of

3 D info of each plant

Fresh weight measurement

94

Real time Volume and Fresh weight

measurement

Making 8 lines into 1 line is the goal of research

95

Development of

ion-selective electrodes for the detection of

macro-elements in nutrient solution

Traditional sensors: 1000 US$ a pieceCost of new sensors: 1 US$ a piece

96

Range: 20 M ~ 100 mM

97

OLED vs. LEDs

Sprouts grown with OLED

has higher anti-oxidation

capability

BR

WWRGB

OLED

98

Fuel Cell in PF_AL

DMFC operation schematic

SFC EFOY COMFORT 210 105W

IRD DMFC 500W backup generator

99

PF_AL

1. A new industry is formed in Taiwan

2. Local for local» healthy and pesticide-free vegetable provider

» Replace imported leafy greens

3. Still waiting for organic liquid fertilizer to be

commercially available and the technology of renewable

energy to be mature

4. Many business models were under practice.

Some fail, some looks promising

5. Can play important role in urban agriculture and in smart

city

100

Conclusions

PF_AL can make us richer, smarter,

greener, healthier, and happier.

Q & A

101