Sweden: Former Food Factory Transformed Into Vertical Farm
In a former factory hall in Tibro, the growers of Ljusgårda AB are preparing to harvest the first crops from their vertical towers. The company has been realizing their indoor farm to offer customers sustainable and locally produced vegetables. Vertical farming and innovative LED lighting solutions play an important role in this.
Ready to harvest
Ljusgårda AB's new premises is ready to provide customers with flavorful, tasty crops. The company has re-purposed an old factory in Tibro to create a state-of-the-art indoor controlled environment facility of 7000m2 with a capacity to produce over 1000 tons of food per year - completely free from pesticides. The crops will be grown in hydroponic vertical cultivation towers combined with state-of-the-art energy-efficient LED lighting.
Ljusgårda AB focuses on sustainable, eco-conscious vertical farming with the goal to produce high-quality vegetables year-round. To do so, they placed an order with Heliospectra AB. The order is for Heliospectra's fully adjustable Elixia LED lighting solution and valued at around SEK 1.3 million ($143,552).
Pesticides and water
"Our goal is to produce tasty high-quality vegetables that our customers can eat with a good conscience. No pesticides, low water consumption and a 100% renewable energy, and since the products are locally produced, we avoid long transports and emission," says Andreas Wilhelmsson, CEO of Ljusgårda.
"Further, controlled environment agriculture (CEA) allows us to control every aspect of our growing environment. This includes nutrition, water, temperature, light and more. A controllable lighting solution like Heliospectra's Elixia also lets us adjust the light spectrum to fit specific crops. This enables us to create an optimal environment for diverse crops, accelerate harvest and achieve consistent, high-quality production year-round. Achieving year-round yields are something you can't take for granted in a country like Sweden," he continues.
In an earlier interview, he spoke out about the expectations to harvest the first rocket this summer and showed how rocket lettuce, dill and chives are grown in an ebb and flow system. "And before next year there will be fresh Swedish strawberries."
He explained how the halls earlier were used by wood company Tivedslamell. Andreas Wilhelmsson: "We have installed a new floor, repaired the walls and the roof, installed lighting and ventilation. In total we have invested about a million euro."
In the former factory are two more spaces of equal space, and a bigger space which can be divided into different climate zones.
Unpredictable weather
"Given unpredictable weather conditions and changes in seasonal daylight, businesses across Scandinavia and Europe see a need to become more self-sufficient. Controlled environment agriculture and Heliospectra's dynamic lighting solutions give growers the tools needed to maintain control over their production and the ability to supply retailers with consistent production year-round," says Ali Ahmadian CEO Heliospectra AB. "Ljusgårda's dedication to sustainable, innovative and profitable business performance is something we share, and I look forward to a rewarding collaboration."
The fully adjustable LED lighting solution Elixia is compatible with Heliospectra's HelioCORE™ light control software, enabling growers to improve the quality of plants, accelerate harvest and production cycles while providing consistent and standardized returns. Delivery will take place and be visible in the accounts during the third and fourth quarter of 2018.
For more information
Ljusgårda AB
Heliospectra
Box 5401 SE-402 29 Göteborg Sweden
Phone: +46 31 40 67 10
Fax: +46 31 83 37 82
info@heliospectra.com
www.heliospectra.com
Publication date: 8/8/2018