Abstract

The following dataset contains data used for the publication "The Power Behind the Plants: Energy Scenarios in Vertical Farming" (DOI 10.1002/fes3.70234). The study reported in this paper aims to evaluate alternative energy strategies for the production of lettuce and it is based on a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) of a large-scale commercial vertical farm company producing lettuce, located in northern Italy (in the Lombardy region). The data obtained from the private company were used to elaborate the LCA inventory, this data was then further elaborated using Ecoinvent databases to generate the subsequent LCA results. The dataset includes a glossary for the terms and acronyms used in the LCA methodology, both referring to the impact categories as well as the inputs and processes used to describe the system. It also contains key tables relevant for the calculation or representation of the manuscript results. It indicates the impact on the climate change indicator of alternative energy sources for the production of lettuce as well as the specific sensitivity on the incoming feed when considering Biomethane as energy source. Finally, nine tables have been included which detail the contribution of all inputs and processes to the production of lettuce for all the impact categories in different energy scenarios: 1) Baseline - Biomethane; 2) Grid; 3) Natural Gas; 4) Mix Renewables; 5) Hydro-Run-off; 6) Hydro Reservoir; 7) Wind; 8) Photovoltaic. More details about the effect of the different energy strategies can be found in the related paper. The data were generated in the framework of the European Union - Next Generation EU, Mission 4 Component 2 “MADLoop” project (CUP J33C24003160001) as well as Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas project “Improving the resource-efficiency and environmental performance of urban-vertical farms through circular-based production methods” (Grant Number: 2021-02447).