Vertical Eden — Full Developer Buildout v0.9

A 5‑acre, revenue‑dense, closed‑loop CEA campus fusing aquaculture, fungi, micro‑greens, BSF bioconversion, water‑energy recovery and agrivoltaics. Designed for fast payback, grid resilience, and celebrity‑chef‑grade flavor.

0) Executive Summary (for developers & investors)

Thesis: Build a 5‑acre, modular campus where every output is an input. Fish feed plants; plants feed people; wastes feed black soldier fly (BSF) larvae; larvae feed fish; frass feeds soil‑grown crops; heat feeds power via ORC; pressure drops in water mains spin micro‑turbines; solar tops up the rest. The result is a predictable, premium product mix with stacked revenue and low water/energy/hauling costs.

Target outcomes (steady‑state, Year 3):

• Topline: $18–26M/yr across microgreens, specialty mushrooms, strawberries, premium finfish (tilapia/barramundi), herbs, value‑added products, and energy credits.

• EBITDA margin: 22–30% (site & power‑price sensitive).

• Water: Net withdrawal <5% of through‑flow (RAS + condensate + rain capture).

• Energy: 55–75% self‑supplied (agrivoltaics + rooftop PV + in‑pipe hydro + ORC + high‑COP heat pumps).

• Jobs: 55–85 FTE with automation.

• Resilience: 72‑hour islanding via battery + generator + load‑shedding; food production uninterrupted.

Why 5 acres: Enough footprint to combine 0.6–0.8 MWac ground PV, rooftops, traffic lanes, loading, and four core production halls while staying nimble on capex and interconnection.

1) Site Program & Massing (5 acres / ~217,800 ft²)

Buildings:

1. CEA Greenhouse & Vertical Farm (G+1 mezz) — 120,000 ft²

   • Zones: strawberries (overhead gutters), leafy (DWC/NFT), CO₂‑enriched high‑wire vine pilots, nursery.

2. Aquaculture RAS Hall — 35,000 ft²

   • Species: tilapia (O. niloticus) as baseline; optional barramundi. Includes hatchery, nursery, grow‑out, purging, chill/pack.

3. Mycology & Controlled Fermentation — 20,000 ft²

   • Oyster/shiitake/lion’s mane on sterilized blocks; koji/black garlic; drying/packaging.

4. Insect Bioconversion (BSF) & Composting — 12,000 ft²

   • Larvae rearing, separation, oil press, frass curing.

5. Processing & Experience Hall — 18,000 ft²

   • Wash/pack, value‑add kitchen, tasting room, chef’s lab, retail.

6. Energy/Water Room — 7,500 ft²

   • CHP (optional), ORC skid, heat‑pump plant, thermal tanks, water PRV‑turbines, batteries, controls.

Site energy & mobility:

• Ground PV (single‑axis or fixed‑tilt agrivoltaic canopy): ~0.6–0.8 MWac on ~5 acres equivalent (with dual‑use cropping/grazing lanes).

• Rooftop PV: 0.4–0.6 MWdc (conservative siting).

• EV/reefer charging lanes: bidirectional where permitted.

2) Core Production Systems (closed‑loop)

2.1 Aquaculture (from Day 1)

• Baseline species: Nile tilapia for reliability and market acceptance; FCR ~1.2–1.6 with precision feeding. Barramundi pilot racks for premium fillet program.

• RAS design: 95–98% recirculation; mechanical + biofiltration + degassing + oxygenation; denitrification side‑loop using plant leachate carbon.

• Annual output ramp: 600 → 1,000+ metric tons whole weight by Year 3 (modular tank banks).

• Water stewardship: Purge polishing; sludge thickening → BSF and anaerobic digestion (AD) → frass/compost tea.

Why aquaculture first: Predictable revenue, stable protein brand, and the nitrogen backbone for plants + insects.

2.2 Water‑Energy Recovery (the “assist” layer)

• In‑conduit hydro: Replace PRVs on campus mains with micro‑turbines; route greenhouse irrigation make‑up through turbines sized for site pressure/flow. Tie to DC bus.

• Waste‑heat to power: Low‑temp hot water from chillers/boilers feeds ORC skid (50–110 kWe class) to scavenge electricity; condenser heat reused for space/process.

• Thermal: 500–1,000 m³ stratified tanks; heat‑pump plant for seasonal shift; desiccant dehumidification to harvest water for RAS/irrigation.

2.3 Crops (high yield, high function)

• Microgreens & Cut Herbs (vertical racks): Radish/pea/sunflower/broccoli/kale, basil/dill/shiso. Short cycles, chef‑grade quality.

• Strawberries (protected gutters): Day‑neutral cultivars, perpetual harvest; winter pricing upside.

• Mushrooms: Shiitake/oyster/lion’s mane on supplemented sawdust blocks; 75–120% biological efficiency targets.

• Pilot vine crops: CO₂‑enriched tomatoes/cucumbers for local retail differentiation.

Why this mix: Fast cashflow (microgreens), luxury margin (strawberries & fungi), steady protein (fish). All generate streams the BSF + frass can valorize.

2.4 Insect Bioconversion (BSF)

• Inputs: Fish sludge, trimmings, produce culls, spent mushroom substrate (SMS) blends.

• Outputs: Larvae meal (defatted for feed), larvae oil, and frass (soil biostimulant). Partial fishmeal displacement in feed; frass fuels soil blocks and outdoor rows.

2.5 Solar & Agrivoltaics

• Strategy: Max PV on ground + roofs; maintain productive understory (grazing, shade‑tolerant crops, or nursery stock). Keep inter‑row lanes for tractors and public programming.

3) Process Flow (campus‑wide)

1. Fish → solids capture → BSF/SMS blend → larvae meal/oil → fish feed loop.

2. Plant evapotranspiration → HVAC condensate capture → fertigation make‑up.

3. Chillers/boilers → ORC → electricity + 50–55°C water to greenhouse slabs and DHW.

4. PV + in‑pipe hydro + ORC → DC bus → batteries → critical loads (RAS blowers, pumps, HVAC, lights).

5. Frass & compost teas → seedling blocks, outdoor beds, and local farm network.

4) Yield Model (directional, steady‑state Year 3)

Actuals will be tuned at commissioning; assumptions documented in the financial workbook.

• Microgreens: 5,000 standard 10×20 trays/week @ 0.35–0.60 kg/tray ≈ 910–1,560 kg/week → 47–81 t/yr. Wholesale $22–$32/kg → $1.0–2.6M/yr.

• Strawberries: 8,000 m² gutters @ 12–30 kg/m²·yr (cultivar & seasonality) → 96–240 t/yr. Farmgate $5–$9/lb equivalent in shoulder/winter → $1.1–4.8M/yr.

• Mushrooms: 1,200 m² grow rooms cycling 20 t dry substrate/month @ 80–110% BE → 16–22 t fresh/month → 190–260 t/yr at $4–$8/lb → $1.7–4.6M/yr.

• Fish: 1,000 t/yr whole; fillet yield tilapia ~32–35% → 320–350 t fillet + frames for broth/pet → blended ASP $4.25–$6.50/lb → $3.0–5.0M/yr.

• By‑products: BSF meal/oil/frass, chef products, tours/experiences → $1.0–2.0M/yr.

• Energy credits/offsets: PV 0.6–0.8 MWac ground + 0.4–0.6 MWdc roof ≈ 1.6–2.2 GWh/yr exported/offset after internal use; in‑pipe hydro/ORC add 0.2–0.6 GWh/yr equivalent.

5) Capex & Opex (ROM ranges, pre‑incentive)

• Capex: $42–62M all‑in (site + buildings + process + PV + batteries + softs). Phasing reduces initial outlay to $24–33M (Phases 1–2).

• Opex drivers: Power, feed, labor. Mitigations: PV/ORC/hydro self‑supply; BSF meal displacement; automation (feeding, climate, harvesting).

Incentives: Target USDA REAP grants/loans (renewables & efficiency), state solar/agrivoltaic programs, sales‑tax exemptions on ag equipment, depreciation (MACRS + bonus where applicable).

6) Phasing & Critical Path

Phase 1 (Months 0–12): Site & shell, RAS (600 tpy), microgreens racks, mushroom line, 0.5 MWdc PV, batteries, in‑pipe hydro, water plant. Early revenue within 6–8 months of breaking ground.

Phase 2 (Months 12–24): Strawberry greenhouse, BSF line, ORC integration, rooftop PV + expansion.

Phase 3 (Months 24–36): Strawberry scale, vine‑crop pilot, experience hall, packaging/brand studio, export accounts.

Permits & ESG: Aquaculture discharge/NPDES (if any), building/food safety, electrical interconnection, fire, OSHA/HACCP, animal welfare, organics (select SKUs), B‑Corp (optional).

7) Controls, Data & Automation

• Unified SCADA + historian; model‑predictive climate control; AI‑assisted feeding and harvest.

• Power EMS optimizing PV/ORC/battery/in‑pipe hydro vs. tariffs.

• Traceability from feedstock to plate; transparency as brand asset.

8) Brand & Experience (Chef‑led)

• Chef’s Lab: tasting flights (microgreens terroir, mushroom textures, strawberry cultivar verticals), pop‑ups, collabs.

• Education & Tours: school programs, prepper/resilience workshops, science salons.

• DTC & Wholesale: CSA‑style memberships, premium grocers, top restaurants, airline catering pilots.

9) Risk Register & Mitigations

• Power price volatility → hedged by on‑site generation + storage.

• Feed cost shocks → BSF meal, diversified suppliers, precise feeding.

• Biosecurity → compartmentalization, SOPs, redundancy, UV/ozone.

• Market swings → flexible crop mix; value‑add kitchen; chef experiences.

• Water rights/drought → RAS + condensate recovery; rain capture; permits early.

10) Research Agenda (to wow the scientists)

• CO₂ optimization (external CCU vs. biogenic) and crop‑specific dosing curves.

• ORC + dehumidification thermodynamic coupling for water‑positive operation.

• BSF frass as biostimulant in soilless substrates and disease suppression.

• Flavor chemistry: light spectra x cultivar x harvest timing (Chef’s Lab).

11) Preferred Markets (power‑price & logistics sensitive)

• Primary: TX (East/Central), NC coastal plain, AZ (with water plan), NV/SoCal high‑value markets via reefer, OH/KY river corridor.

• Secondary pilots: WA lower‑cost electrons + brand halo; NY for flagship showroom (higher prices, higher power costs).

12) Next Deliverables

• LOD‑200 site plan, one‑line electrical, water P&IDs with PRV‑turbines, schematic MEP; 36‑month pro forma; incentives matrix; risk‑adjusted IRR cases.

Appendix: Detailed assumptions & worksheets maintained in the financial model. External source references provided in chat for due‑diligence.

📑 Evidence Notes

[1] In-pipe hydropower: Portland’s LucidPipe and Rentricity’s “Flow-to-Wire” show pressure-reducing valves can be replaced with turbines, generating continuous kW from municipal/onsite water flows.

[2] Waste-heat to power: ElectraTherm Green Machine ORC units convert 77–116 °C hot water into 35–110 kWe; condenser heat at 50–55 °C is reused for DHW/space heating.

[3] CO₂ enrichment precedent: Dutch OCAP project delivers ~0.5–0.6 Mt captured CO₂ annually to ~600 greenhouses; common in UK/Netherlands to pipe CHP/boiler exhaust (scrubbed) into growhouses.

[4] Microgreens yields: Extension data show common 10×20 trays yield ~0.25–0.75 kg/tray depending on species (radish, pea, sunflower, kale, broccoli).

[5] Energy intensity (indoor greens): Controlled trials report ~15–16 kWh per kg lettuce in vertical farm conditions—drives our PV/ORC/hydro design.

[6] Strawberries in CEA: UK NIAB trials + commercial operators report 30–50 kg/m²·yr in optimized systems; our 12–30 kg/m²·yr baseline is conservative.

[7] Mushrooms: Peer-reviewed shiitake/oyster log studies report 75–125% biological efficiency (dry substrate → fresh weight).

[8] Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL): Meta-analyses show up to 50–100% fishmeal replacement in tilapia diets without growth penalty; frass tested as a nematicide and soil biostimulant.

[9] Solar land use: NREL data—utility-scale PV requires ~5–10 acres/MWac; a 5-acre site supports ~0.6–0.8 MWac ground PV with agrivoltaic spacing.

[10] Power costs: 2025 commercial retail rates—ID, NE, MO, LA, OK, UT, WA among lowest (~7–9¢/kWh); NY among highest (~19¢/kWh).

[11] AeroFarms Newark: $30M, 69k ft² facility producing ~2M lbs leafy greens/year—proof institutional capital funds this asset class.

[12] USDA REAP incentives: Post-IRA expansion—up to 50% grants for renewable energy/efficiency projects, $1M cap for solar; priority for “energy communities.”