The Horticulture Lighting Conference took place at the Denver Marriott Center on October 17th. We hope you had the chance to attend and visit our table.
The presenters had some great insight to understanding and collaborating with the horticulture grower. In particular, they emphasized the need to understand their objective and to create trials so they can aggressively adopt LED lighting. Here are some important takeaways from the show that we felt were vital:
Vertical Farming is Increasing and a High Adopter for LED Lighting:
Vertical farming is increasing substantially across the globe and they look to LED lighting as their solution. They require a small footprint and less heat that LED lighting can provide. With less fixtures and less wattage to run them, they can take advantage of cheaper utilities and lower production costs.
Breweries are Getting Interested in Growing Their own Hops:
Many local breweries are looking to vertical and indoor farming so they can have control of their crops. By utilizing LED lighting they will see an average of 3-5 crop cycles per year, consistent cone quality and continuous production.
Supplemental LED Lighting:
Growers are seeing an increase in speed for their rooting process, production cycles shortened and more crop cycles per year after adapting LED lighting. They also reap the benefits of adaptive lighting being more efficient.
Testing and Standards:
New UL standards are being developed (UL 8800) since most standards are based on human metrics and not plant metrics. Plant metrics include: Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), Photosynthetic Photon Flux (PPF), Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD), active cooling, color shifting, high heat and humidity.
DLC is currently determining parameters for installation and lighting needs. DLC QPL plans to have a verified list of products that met minimum thresholds of certain specification elements such as: PPF, uniformity, special distribution, power quality, flux maintenance, safety, warranty and energy savings.
Inventronics is excited to offer an extensive product line that can be a tremendous asset to this growing market. Our extensive portfolio of dimming, programmable and high power EUD and ESD drivers are a great fit for Horticulture.