Construction has been completed on Europe’s largest indoor vertical farm.

The facility will be capable of producing 1,000t of salads and herbs per year.

The plants are grown on 14 stacked shelves, equivalent to an area of more than 7,000 square metres, and are grown using hydroponics and LED lights.

The planst are grown under LED lights. Source: Nordic Harvest

As the system is in a highly controlled environment, no pesticides are required.

Danish-based Nordic Harvest has partnered with Taiwanese vertical farm tech company YesHealth Group to create the facility in Copenhagen Markets, on the outskirts of Denmark’s capital.

Largest vertical farm

In a statement, the companies explain that the facility will be Europe’s largest and most efficient indoor vertical farm and will use technologies such as robotics, hydroponics and more than 20,000 LEDs along with over 5,000 individual data points.

The energy required to power the facility will come from wind power, making the system carbon neutral.

Founder and chief executive of Nordic Harvest Anders Riemann explains that that, initially, around 200t of herbs and salads will be harvested in the first quarter of 2021.

Denmark's salad consumption on 20 football pitches

However, by Q4 of the same year, around 1,000t will be grown annually on an area equivalent to a large football pitch.

One of the robots used in the facility. Source: Nordic Harvest

In comparison, the total Danish consumption of salads and herbs is around 20,000t per year, where about two thirds are imported.

“This means that with just 20 production facilities, all of Denmark's consumption could be covered on an area corresponding to 20 football pitches,” said Riemann.