Plant Factories are divided into the following two types:
These plant factories grow vegetables in a closed environment without the utilization of sunlight.
These plant factories primarily depend on sunlight to grow vegetables in greenhouses, while using artificial light as an auxiliary light source and air-conditioning technologies in the summer (this type of plant factories includes those using both sunlight and artificial light in different combinations).
* In particular, fully artificial light type plant factories have been given higher priority in research and commercialization because their ability to allow agricultural production in places subject to major temperature changes and in small areas makes them suitable for cultivation in Japan, which is a small country with large seasonal changes in weather.
Plant factories also permit regions traditionally regarded as unsuitable for agriculture (e.g., deserts, cold climate areas) to grow agricultural products, because water is efficiently recycled and reused in plant factories, which primarily depend on hydroponic culture. Expectations are high for the possibility of exporting them as agricultural plant facilities that incorporate the advanced technologies and know-how of Japan.