Rooftop Hydroponic Plant Factory

Rooftop plant production is the practice of growing plants on top of residential, commercial and industrial buildings. The rooftop is an ideal landscape for growing plants in dense cities, as it typically has greater exposure to solar energy than ground below. Edible plant growing on rooftops is classified into three categories:

Non -commercial / Small scale (Rooftop Gardening)

Commercial / Medium Scale (Rooftop Farming)

Commercial /Large Scale (Rooftop agriculture)

A hydroponic rooftop greenhouse mimicking a plant factory can produce the maximum yield vis-à-vis the three rooftop growing categories mentioned above. The structure of the greenhouse can comprise of glass, rigid plastic, polythene, or acrylic. Controlled Environment conditions are maintained inside the glasshouse with the help of heaters, coolers, ventilation fans, sensors. Depending on the location and construction of the plant factory and availability of sunlight the need to install artificial lighting requirements can be considered.

The heat island effect caused by urban buildings through reflection of sunlight or by emission of heat from interior air conditioning can be mitigated by the rooftop plant factory as it can act as an insulation cover and the heat can be utilized to maintain the temperature of the nutrient solution. Thus effectively the rooftop plant factory has the potential to reduce the power consumption costs of the whole building.