Comment Vertical vs. Tunnel Farming (Score 3, Interesting) 49
from the
"Hydroponic, vertical farms typically grow plants indoors without soil, irrigating the crops with a water-based nutrient solution and often use artificial light."
I did back-of-the-envelope calculation a while ago and indoor farming in Manhattan would be less expensive in a Boring Company tunnel than in an above-ground building there. Even at $10 million/mile those tunnels are volumetrically cheaper there than above-ground real estate.
The calculation for UAE would be different, the underground temperature, 30C/80F, is above what is tolerated for common indoor crops such as lettuce. Manhattan required some heating to reach optimal lettuce temperature though.
By the way, in Manhattan they are never going to get anywhere close to breakeven for any crop, such as pumpkins, that transports well. Indoor farming is sort of maybe financially feasible in big cities only for delicate crops, significantly because of loss from spoilage during transport and storage when grown outside the metropolitan area. The harsh outdoor conditions and water scarcity in the UAE favor tunnels more, so cost estimates for other tunnel crops there would be interesting.