Respected and idolized Elon Musk has created brands that impacted the world for the better. Some of his projects include the Mars-bound SpaceX program, environmentally friendly Solar City, and the elegant but powerful Tesla super electric car. Musk is always pursuing projects that serve the world and humanity. Elon's goals include reducing global warming through sustainable energy production and consumption and reducing the risk of human extinction by making human life multi-planetary. Projects like Local Roots will help facilitate his vision.
Logically consistent inferences you've made.The article is a puff piece so it's hard to discern how much is actually happening but it makes a lot of sense for SpaceX or Elon personally, to be interested, or facilitating certain development directions, or invested.SpaceX has a reputation for vertical manufacturing integration but this is far afield of their core so it makes a lot of sense they'd seek a good partner for this.
Quote from: Lar on 12/17/2017 06:05 amLogically consistent inferences you've made.The article is a puff piece so it's hard to discern how much is actually happening but it makes a lot of sense for SpaceX or Elon personally, to be interested, or facilitating certain development directions, or invested.SpaceX has a reputation for vertical manufacturing integration but this is far afield of their core so it makes a lot of sense they'd seek a good partner for this.>The NASA estimate for the power needed to grow plants under LED lighting is 42.5KW per person. >>That suggests that finding ways to grow under natural (or some sort of hybrid) lighting arrangement would be a really good idea, unless you have a large size nuclear reactor handy. A naval reactor would be good for about 13-14 fully loaded BFS's.
Quote from: john smith 19 on 12/17/2017 07:13 amQuote from: Lar on 12/17/2017 06:05 amLogically consistent inferences you've made.The article is a puff piece so it's hard to discern how much is actually happening but it makes a lot of sense for SpaceX or Elon personally, to be interested, or facilitating certain development directions, or invested.SpaceX has a reputation for vertical manufacturing integration but this is far afield of their core so it makes a lot of sense they'd seek a good partner for this.>The NASA estimate for the power needed to grow plants under LED lighting is 42.5KW per person. >>That suggests that finding ways to grow under natural (or some sort of hybrid) lighting arrangement would be a really good idea, unless you have a large size nuclear reactor handy. A naval reactor would be good for about 13-14 fully loaded BFS's.1) greenhouse2) light pipes for underground3) freight container gardens use about 30,000 kWh/year (LED lighting & environmental), 10 gallons of H2O/day and average ~75 lbs of lettuce a week. Capable of growing many crops & herbs.
Local Roots isn't the only company doing this. Elon's brother, Kimbal, is involved in the more satisfyingly named Square Roots. https://www.squarerootsgrow.comI'm sure they'll be family conversations about cargo container farming.
Quote from: john smith 19 on 12/17/2017 07:13 amThat suggests that finding ways to grow under natural (or some sort of hybrid) lighting arrangement would be a really good idea...1) greenhouse
That suggests that finding ways to grow under natural (or some sort of hybrid) lighting arrangement would be a really good idea...
Quote from: Cheapchips on 12/17/2017 07:07 amLocal Roots isn't the only company doing this. Elon's brother, Kimbal, is involved in the more satisfyingly named Square Roots. https://www.squarerootsgrow.comI'm sure they'll be family conversations about cargo container farming.It would be problematic to deal with a company belonging to a director - conflicts of interest etc. Cleaner to deal with a third party. But I agree with you about the conversations!
2) light pipes for underground
3) freight container gardens use about 30,000 kWh/year (LED lighting & environmental), 10 gallons of H2O/day and average ~75 lbs of lettuce a week. Capable of growing many crops & herbs.
The NASA estimate for the power needed to grow plants under LED lighting is 42.5KW per person.
SpaceX has a reputation for vertical manufacturing integration but this is far afield of their core so it makes a lot of sense they'd seek a good partner for this.
Of course it depends on how worried people are about surface radiation effects on plant growth.
Some figures for other crops are notably worse than for potato
Quote from: speedevil on 01/03/2018 03:53 pmSome figures for other crops are notably worse than for potatoYeah, even in natural light farming on Earth potatoes are absurdly efficient in terms of calories/acre -- Andy Weir knew what he was doing when he picked them for The Martian...>
Quote from: speedevil on 01/03/2018 03:53 pmSome figures for other crops are notably worse than for potatoYeah, even in natural light farming on Earth potatoes are absurdly efficient in terms of calories/acre -- Andy Weir knew what he was doing when he picked them for The Martian...Energy use is going to be pretty dependent on what kind of light you use - green is wasted (reflected) and blue is only partially used since only photon energy equivalent to a far-end red photon is collected. Red is most efficiently absorbed.(This always seemed weird to me since the sun's peak emission is in the green - but I think plants in nature are generally not light limited.)