The Delta Electronics Singapore office is home to a fully functional vertical farm which proves how smart technologies can enable sustainable food production right in the heart of the city. More than a pilot, this completely operational vertical farm is a working concept that integrates automation, sustainability, and digital control. Designed to maximize space and minimize resource use, it demonstrates how smart infrastructure can support healthier lifestyles and greener cities.
Project Highlights:
- Smart Monitoring with VTScada Integration – Delta’s VTScada system enables remote control and live monitoring of farm conditions like lighting, nutrients, and temperature, demonstrating the power of digital transformation in sustainable food systems.
- Water-Efficient Hydroponics for Greener Cities – Our closed-loop system reduces water usage by over 30% versus traditional farming. This champions eco-conscious innovation in urban agriculture.
- Optimized Growth with Proprietary Nutrients – Our custom nutrient formula and efficient design promote faster (and healthier plant growth), turning limited space into high-yield, low-impact ecosystems.
- Urban Farming for Healthier Workplaces -By growing vegetables on-site, we’re reducing food miles and offering employees direct access to cleaner, safer, and ultra-fresh produce.
Delta’s vertical hydroponic system, developed by its headquarters in Taiwan for many years, produces up to 40 kilograms of high-quality fresh vegetables every 35 days by reducing the use of water and space. At present, the company grows four lettuce crops with high economic value. (Photo by Chen Yuanzhuang)
Delta Singapore, which provides smart living solutions, has a green space in its office building, where there are 24 multi-level planters and a 9.8-square-meter wide vertical farm. Automated planting through high-tech configuration can help Singapore, which has limited arable land and scarce manpower and water resources, to achieve Vision 30.30.
Tang Bingcheng, general manager of Delta Electronics, said they moved into the Kallang Junction building two years ago and set up the farming space on the third floor in January last year.
By reducing the use of water and space, the hydroponic system can produce up to 40 kg of high-quality fresh vegetables every 35 days. The nutrient solution developed by the company contains an organic formula, and it is understood that vegetables can maintain their freshness for 10 days to two weeks after refrigeration. The hydroponic system used circulates the water flow, which can effectively reduce the water consumption by at least 30% compared to conventional farming.
In addition to the water quality sensor, the technology of the whole system is designed and produced by the company’s own research and development. These include LED tri-color lighting, smart water and electricity meters, DC fans to ensure airflow circulation in the growing space, water supply and drainage system, planting pots, nutrient solution, VTScada monitoring system.
Staff can use VTScada monitoring software to remotely observe the growth of indoor crops in real time. LED lighting, water irrigation, air temperature, nutrient solution and water temperature and water level can all be automatically controlled and monitored by the system. (Provided by Delta Singapore)
Workers can use the monitoring software to remotely observe the growth of crops in the planting room in real time through a visual platform. LED lighting, water flow irrigation, etc. can be automatically controlled and monitored by the system, and the data can be collected for analysis to further adjust and optimize the planting plan.
Li Zhengyu, head of the system solutions business, explained that they set the maximum and minimum safety ranges for air temperature, nutrient solution and water temperature level in the system.
“If the water level or temperature is too high or too low, the system will sound an alarm; If everything is in order, the system will work automatically, or even without any human staff at all. ”
The system is equipped with smart water meters and electricity meters that can record water consumption and determine whether LED lighting is working properly to ensure the efficient use and management of resources.
The high and low spacing of each layer of the vertical planting pot can be adjusted and customized according to the customer’s requirements and vegetable growth needs. There is no limit to the size of the system, Lee said: “We can make as much space as we want, but Singapore has limited land.” A local customer has developed a customised 14-storey vertical hydroponic system. There are also overseas customers who have ordered single-layer planting systems with a length and width of one kilometer. ”
The system has been developed and verified by the Taiwan headquarters for many years since 2011, and now the local office building can be said to be the complete body of the technology. At present, on-site operation is only required for seedling raising, transplanting, harvesting, mixing and adding nutrient solution.
There are many different vertical soil or hydroponic systems on the market, and the difference is mainly in efficiency.
According to Lee’s analysis, vertical soil farming systems may face biological contamination such as insect pests, and the pipes of irrigation and drainage systems may also be clogged with soil. In addition, the soil cannot be reused, so it has to be re-fertilized, and recycling of waste soil is also a problem.
Delta’s planting pot water can be reused for up to 60 days, which is a major advantage for Singapore, where water resources are scarce. Moreover, the nutrient solution is mixed into water, which is more uniform than fertilization in the soil, which is conducive to plant absorption.
Hydroponic wastewater is easy to treat and can be discharged directly into the sewer
Li Zhengyu said that the wastewater treatment of hydroponic wastewater is relatively simple, and only a small amount of residue is left after the nutrient solution is absorbed by the vegetables, and it also meets the safety regulations of the authorities after being sent for inspection, and can be discharged directly into the sewer.
As for the use of this high-tech system to grow vegetables, Deng Bingcheng believes that if it is used on a large scale and for a long time, and crops with high economic value are grown, it may even pay for itself in a year. “It’s like automation in a factory, if the production volume is insufficient, it is not economically viable.”
He revealed that the Taiwan headquarters has conquered the planting plan of 46 kinds of vegetables and fruits such as ice cabbage, and is currently developing strawberry planting.
Delta Singapore general manager Tang Bingcheng said the company moved into the Kallang Junction building two years ago and set up a farming space on the third floor in January last year. In addition to displaying its own technology and greening the office environment, the fresh vegetables grown are also supplied to the company’s employees at a preferential price of 1 yuan, and the proceeds from the sale of vegetables are donated to charity, and it is reported that about 1,000 yuan has been raised so far. (Photo by Chen Yuanzhuang)
In countries where land is scarce and arable land is limited, such as Singapore, vertical farms can be more productive than traditional flat farming for the same area. Mr Tang believes that the development of vertical farms in Hong Kong is imperative and in line with the Government’s Vision 30.30.
Vision 30.30 is the target set by the Chinese government in 2019, that is, by 2030, enough agricultural products can be produced to meet one-third of the local nutritional needs and enhance food security.
The problem is that many traditional farmers may be too reluctant to make such a large investment in new cropping techniques that they cannot be scaled up in large quantities. At the same time, the unit price of vegetables grown by new technology is high, and how to increase market sales is also a big challenge.
“My wife and I have recently started buying local vegetables because of environmental protection, and many European countries have also started to call for eating local ingredients. Although the price is a little higher, we eat locally produced vegetables, which can reduce the carbon emissions generated by transportation. ”
He believes that if more people do this, sales of local dishes will increase and prices will decrease.
“In countries with aging populations or lack of human resources, a lot of things need to be automated, not just growing vegetables. Nowadays, many technological developments are actually solving the problem of manpower shortage. ”
Article originally published: Smart farms hide in office buildings, vertical farming helps our country’s 30.30 vision | Lianhe Zaobao