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North American Growers Welcome New Tool To Manage Light

North American Growers Welcome New Tool To Manage Light

 JANUARY 26, 2018 URBAN AG NEWS

“Giving growers the tools to manage light quality is one of our specialties,” says Chris Higgins, General Manager of Hort Americas. “For example, we were one of the first suppliers of LED grows lights in the US. At that time, we saw the crop advantages that growers realized when they had the ability to manipulate spectrum along with intensity.”

The company recently started a partnership with Sudlac. Sudlac’s shading products were introduced in the US last year and received much interest from a wide variety of growers. “We’re giving North American growers a new tool to manage light.”

Hort Americas was founded in 2009 although the team has been actively involved in commercial horticulture for much longer. Strategically positioned in Dallas, it is centrally located to serve its customers in the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. It has also partnered with the Dutch supplier Horticoop which provides access to knowledge and products developed by leading European horticulture companies.

Proven products

The decision to partner with Sudlac was based on the European manufacturer’s proven ideas and concepts to manage light and protect the greenhouse structure, says Chris. “As a company, we spend a significant amount of our time managing light in greenhouses and other horticultural production facilities.”

In the past shading, products were designed to reduce the amount of light when the sun was at its brightest. “However, when we started talking to Sudlac we weren’t only looking at shading products. Additionally, we were looking at tools that would complement our product range and that would allow growers to manipulate light quality as well as light intensity in the greenhouse. Sudlac’s product portfolio includes such products and as a result, has been enjoying growing success in Europe,” says the general manager.

Once Chris and his team had indeed established that Sudlac had the sort of high-quality products they were looking for the decision to form a partnership came down to people. “We also considered competitive products but ultimately it was Sudlac’s team that won us over. They are very open and easy to talk to. They have a simple philosophy when their business partners do well, they do well.  And working together for shared goals is something we always strive for.”

Wide range of climates

The main shading products imported to North America from Europe are Eclipse LD, Optifuse and Transpar. Eclipse LD is a removable shading agent that protects crops against excessive light and heat; Optifuse is a removable diffuse coating; while Transpar is a shading agent that reflects heat radiation.

“Our growers experience a vast variety of climate conditions and grow a wide variety of crops. These products are best suited to cover all possibilities,” says Chris.

The customers also range from very large to small growers with high value crops. “We want all growers to be able to enhance their crops using shading products. Early interest has come from growers with high value crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, leafy greens and herbs as well as ornamental potted crops. We are also hearing from growers with a wide variety of niche crops that range from general ag research to high end medicinal and biopharmaceutical crops.”

Hort Americas introduced the first products to the North American market in the middle of 2017. “We are still in the process of convincing growers that this technology is going to work, and we have had a huge amount of interest so far. We expect demand to take off when the shading season starts this year!”

For more information:

Hort Americas
2801 Renee St
Bedford, Texas 76021
469-532-2383
hortamericas.com

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Philips Lighting Signs New Partnership Agreement With Greenhouse Specialist ST Solution for Russian Horticulture Market 

February 28, 2018

Philips Lighting Signs New Partnership Agreement With Greenhouse Specialist ST Solution for Russian Horticulture Market

Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Philips Lighting (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, today announced the official Philips LED Horti partnership agreement with ST Solution, a Russian specialist in turnkey greenhouse solutions.

This partnership, made official at the HortiContact fair (February 20-22) in the Netherlands, came after the two companies worked together on an enormous new horticultural project at Agro-Inwest, a horticultural innovator located 350 km southwest of Moscow. The collaboration is part of a larger initiative in which Philips Lighting is developing a network of Russian partners.

“We are sharing our knowledge and investing in training programs for Russian experts,” said Udo van Slooten, Business Leader Horticulture at Philips Lighting. ST Solution’s personnel have already completed multi-stage training programs in Russia and at Philips Lighting’s headquarters in Eindhoven.

Valentin Shchenikov, Technical Director of ST Solution, said that it made sense to partner with Philips Lighting in both the short- and long-term. “If you want to be the best you should work with the best producers,” he said. “We appreciate the Philips system approach. Because it’s not just luminaries selling, it's an ROI-philosophy with quality service at each project stage: from business planning to agronomic support during growing. For us Philips is an example of genuine teamwork.” 

ST Solution provides smart horticultural systems and greenhouse constructions for greenhouse projects throughout Russia. It has a Dialux certified design team and skillful installation team. Most recently they have been working with several new investors and on greenhouse projects in Russia, including the largest LED project worldwide at Agro-Inwest. 

Agro-Inwest is one of Russia’s most innovative greenhouse produce companies. In 2017-2018 ST Solution built its greenhouses the size of 40 football fields, more than 25 hectare, for growing tomatoes and cucumbers. ST Solution helped install 120,000 GreenPower LED interlighting and GreenPower LED toplighting modules in less than three months in Russian winter time. 

“We wanted to work with ST Solution because it has demonstrated sharp implementation times in Russia,” said Van Slooten. “The successful Agro-Inwest installation proved that ST Solution could deliver the local high level of service support that we look for in a partner.” 

We are hiring: Business Development Manager CEE/Russia 

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LumiGrow, Completes Oversubscribed Bridge Financing Round 

LumiGrow, Completes Oversubscribed Bridge Financing Round 

Emeryville, CA, USA – February 14, 2018 – LumiGrow, a smart horticultural lighting company, announced the successful completion of a $5.1 million bridge financing. The oversubscribed round included participation from existing lead investor, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, as well as new investors, ValueAct Spring Master Fund, L.P. and Greenhouse Capital.

With the successful closing, LumiGrow will continue to focus on providing industry-leading LED lighting hardware and software solutions to commercial horticulture and research institutions, utilizing data gathered through its smartPARTM software application and recently introduced smartPARTM Light Sensor Module. The timing and size of the financing allows LumiGrow to accelerate the development of its next-generation products.

Kelly Barlow, a Partner at ValueAct Capital, has been appointed to LumiGrow’s Board of Directors, which includes LumiGrow’s CEO, Shami Patel, Partners of Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Devin Whatley and James Everett, and agricultural industry leader, Minos Athanassiadis.

The registered principals of Keene Advisors and representatives of Squire Patton Boggs advised LumiGrow in connection with the bridge financing.

About LumiGrow, Inc.

LumiGrow, Inc., the leader in smart horticultural LED lighting solutions, empowers growers with the ability to improve plant quality, boost crop yields, and achieve cost-saving operational efficiencies. LumiGrow offers a range of proven grow light and software solutions for use in greenhouses, controlled environment agriculture and research chambers. LumiGrow is headquartered in Emeryville, California,

About Ecosystem Integrity Fund

The Ecosystem Integrity Fund is a top-ranked venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies contributing to environmental sustainability. The fund has had successful exits with investments in Zep Solar, Kevita, and eMotorWerks.

About ValueAct Capital

ValueAct Capital is a San Francisco-based investment firm with approximately $15 billion in assets under management. ValueAct Spring Master Fund’s investment objective is to seek to achieve superior returns by making long-term investments in companies that responsibly and creatively address certain environmental and social problems by using sustainable models.

About Greenhouse Capital Partners

Greenhouse Capital Partners is a growth capital firm investing in emerging businesses promoting health and sustainability within the areas of food, agriculture, and the environment. The firm believes that an economic revolution is underway, powered by technology and simultaneously shaped by evolving consumer needs, that has created a business landscape in which healthy, sustainable, higher quality and more engaging consumer experiences can thrive. Greenhouse is at the forefront of investing in this wave of change. The firm targets real companies with real products that are built upon real values to stand the test of time. We focus on helping build companies that tackle both the complex issues of health and sustainability in society and are themselves built upon sustainable business models.

If you would like more information, please call LumiGrow at (800) 514-0487, or visit www.lumigrow.com.

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Lighting Research Spotlight

Lighting Research Spotlight

How many light fixtures do you need in a greenhouse?

Thinking of adding or upgrading supplemental grow lights in your greenhouse? Then the article “How Many Light Fixtures Do I Need?” written by GLASE Principal Investigator Dr. Neil Mattson and published in the e-Gro Edible Alert is a must read.

Mattson walks you through estimating how many fixtures you need if you know your target light intensity in micromoles per square meter per second (µmol/m2/s) and the light output in micromoles per second (µmol/s) from a given fixture. You can also estimate your annual electricity bill from using the lights if you know the power consumption of a fixture (in Watts) and an estimate of how many hours it will be operating during the year.

To further lower implementation and operational costs of horticultural LED lighting systems, GLASE is developing controlled environment agriculture (CEA)-specific technologies. The goal of these technologies is to improve lighting design recommendations and to support growers during the decision-making process to define an optimal system.

New technologies serving commercial lighting companies include the development of integrated CEA buildings, energy simulation engines, integrated control system simulations, and investigations of light distribution patterns in tall plant canopies. The development of a framework to compare energy and cost impacts of various lighting systems designed for horticultural applications will assist CEA growers in determining an optimal technology to fit their specific needs. 

For more information, please visit the GLASE website at www.glase.org
Picture courtesy of Tessa Pocock

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Can CEA Growers Be Offered Better Lighting and Control Systems?

Can CEA Growers Be Offered Better Lighting and Control Systems?

GLASE consortium is connecting different segments of the controlled environment agriculture industry to create new opportunities for technology development and commercialization.

Technologies underlying horticultural lighting and control systems are rapidly evolving providing academics and private companies new tools with value-added applications in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facilities. The improved capabilities offered by new integrated lighting systems are expanding the market opportunities for lighting, sensing and control companies.

The Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering (GLASE) consortium is bringing together industries and researchers from different sectors in an open platform to integrate advanced energy-efficient LED lighting with improved environmental controls for more efficient and sustainable greenhouse production.

GLASE addresses the following industries:

  • Basic manufacturing: Large manufacturing companies serving a broader market beyond horticultural applications interested in serving the CEA market.
  • Lightingsensing and controls: Product and service companies providing greenhouse growers with systems and controls used for crop production and greenhouse management operations.
  • CEA producers: All controlled environmental agricultural production facilities, including greenhouses, indoor farms and urban agriculture.
  • Retailers: Food and ornamental crop vendors buying directly or indirectly from CEA producers.
  • Auxiliary companies: A broad range of service providers, trade associations, government and private agencies, working to support the other segments of the CEA supply chain.
  • Policy and regulatory: Public and private agencies developing horticultural lighting standards and regulations and energy rebate programs.

Led by Cornell University, the Center for Lighting and Applications Systems (LESA) and Rutgers University, GLASE is working with its industry members to de-risk technology development and accelerate market adoption. Identifying existing technology gaps within and across different industry sectors, GLASE members from the basic manufacturing and lighting, sensing and controls segments are exploring commercial opportunities based on similar and complementary technology.
 
Guided by both the needs of CEA producers and GLASE researchers’ findings new technologies will be validated through multi-phase processes from scientific proof of concepts to implementation in commercial greenhouses. The integrated areas of research ranges from the development of high-efficiency dynamic LED systems and spectrum/irradiance optimization based on plant sensing and environmental conditions to integrated lighting, shade, carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature, and humidity control systems. Click here to find the GLASE detailed research program

For more information, please visit the GLASE website at www.glase.org or contact GLASE executive director Erico Mattos at em796@cornell.edu.

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Independence LED Lighting Ready With Program To Back Changes To SNAP

Independence LED Lighting Ready With Program To Back Changes To SNAP

20 February 2018

Greater Philadelphia

Independence LED Lighting stated that it was shovel ready for a pilot program in Philadelphia to support proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP), included in the President’s Budget for Financial Year 2019.

The White House recently unveiled the updated Budget, which had a path to include American-grown foods provided directly to households. 

Mick Mulvaney, director, White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), said that the administration’s plan would not only save the government money but also provide people with more nutritious food than they have now.

The concept of an America’s Harvest Box, delivered each month as part of the SNAP, is based on volume purchasing to reduce unit costs. Over 16 million American households currently receive some form of assistance through SNAP.

Individually, they do not have the buying power that would come with government volume purchases. The logistics of the proposed programme are naturally very complicated and detractors should not dismiss the idea outright. With economies of scale, SNAP recipients could receive more nutritious food at lower costs.

“Cost-effective change involves challenging the status quo, and we are pleased to leverage our American-made technology to launch a pilot project that will demonstrate the benefits of next-generation future food for SNAP recipients,” said Charlie Szoradi, chairman and chief executive officer, Independence LED Lighting.

American innovation
Independence LED Lighting is one of the first authentic Buy American Act- (BAA) compliant LED lighting manufacturers.

Since moving its production from China to southeastern Pennsylvania in 2010, the company has provided its United States-made light-emitting diode (LED) technology across the public and private sectors.

Building owners and managers typically save 50 percent or more on electricity, and Independence LED Lighting also has developed advanced LED grow lights to optimize indoor farming.

In conjunction with indoor farm partners, the company produces vegetables at lower costs than Americans pay at grocery stores.

By adjusting the light wavelengths of its LEDs, the company can enhance growth by plant type and optimize photosynthetic photon flux density (PPDF).

After more than two years of research and development (R&D), the first consumer received, via overnight mail, the first delivery of live microgreens in November 2017 at 20 percent below the grocery store cost, including the shipping cost.

Microgreens are an excellent addition to any diet, because they often have 40 times more nutrients than their mature counterparts. 

The live aspect is important in this example because the vegetables last over two weeks in home refrigerators and retain more of their nutrients than harvested produce.

Local delivery would replace overnight shipping for the majority of the SNAP programme, given that one or more indoor farms would be in or near each major US city.

In addition to the food and cost advantages for the government and SNAP recipients, American manufacturing, indoor farming and produce delivery all help create more job opportunities for SNAP recipients.

Domestic job creation is naturally the top aspect of US president Donald Trump’s Buy American and Hire American Executive Order, signed in April 2017.

Pilot concept
Imagine that there is not necessarily just one American Harvest Box for each family each month, but multiple drop-shipments from a coalition of private sector companies.

The participating companies provide farm-direct and factory-direct food to the families.

Perishable vegetables are not referenced as part of the box concept in the budget, but many SNAP families live in neighborhoods with limited access to fresh produce.

These food deserts are a health challenge for Americans. Independence LED Lighting envisions starting with an indoor farm pilot programme in Philadelphia and then rolling out to each major metropolitan market.

Local indoor farms reduce transportation costs. Currently, California produces over 90 percent of the vegetables in the United States, so reducing 2,000 miles down to under 20 miles is one of the very real ways to generate savings.

Plus, indoor farming is weather-proof for year-round harvesting that is fresh versus truck-ripened.

The reduced transportation also reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, for cleaner air and environmental sustainability.

For the pilot programme, Independence LED Lighting will use veggie drop-off days as opportunities to share health tips and recipes.

The programme will also train SNAP recipients for new jobs, build a youth mentor programme for next-generation ambassadors of healthy living, and provide reports on performance metrics.

The intended outcome is lower-cost food, healthier food, engaged members of the community and measurable results.

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Horticultural LED Market: Is Amazon Showing The Way?

Horticultural LED Market: Is Amazon Showing The Way?

Monday 19th February 2018

Emerging applications, including urban farming, will help market grow by 16.4 percent CAGR between 2018 and 2023

The horticultural LED lighting market reached almost $3.8 billion in 2017, currently driven mainly by greenhouse applications. But future growth may be dominated by new types of farming, according to Yole Développement and PISEO (both part of the Yole Group of companies). 

In Yole's latest Horticultural LED Lighting report, greenhouse applications will not maintain their leadership in the mid and long term and are only the tip of the iceberg. Emerging applications, including urban farming, are likely to make the horticultural lighting market boom with a 16.4 percent CAGR between 2018 and 2023.

In this context, it is not surprising to discover Jeff Bezos’ support for a vertical farms project in China. In a recent article, a journalist announced a 300 vertical farms project in China, supported by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt.

According to this article, a start-up named Plenty has raised more than $200 million, thanks to the Softbank Group and investment funds. Entering the Chinese market, Plenty hopes to tap into the country’s growing demand for organic foods.

“Vertical farms, especially developed in cities, is probably the most relevant solution we found to produce fresh food and vegetables", comments Pierrick Boulay, technology & market Analyst at Yole.

“The world population is growing and almost 80 percent of the world’s population will live in cities and megacities by 2050. As a consequence, vertical farms will clearly be part of our future."

“LED technology is a key enabler for the development of the vertical farming industry", adds Joël Thomé, general manager at PISEO. “Thanks to optical radiation versatility, easier integration, and long-life span, crop yields under artificial LED lighting will increase dramatically."

Indoor farming should develop strongly in the largely urbanised Asian areas, especially in China, as this region faces severe soil and water pollution. The Plenty start-up is but one example.

Penetration of this market by Amazon and Alphabet is not an isolated example and must be strongly considered by others in the future. According to Yole and PISEO, the horticultural lighting market is expected to reach $17 billion by 2027 thanks to a boom in indoor and vertical farming applications.

Such figures clearly highlight the attractiveness of this sector.

Amazon’s new positioning confirms the added-value of vertical farms in answer to the evolution of the world’s population and food resources. But it is also strong confirmation of the diversification strategy of the giant Amazon in penetrating the whole foods grocery chain.

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Philips Lighting Horticulture LED Solutions Adds Honey Electric To North America Partner Network

February 19, 2018

Philips Lighting Horticulture LED Solutions Adds Honey Electric To North America Partner Network

Eindhoven, The Netherlands -- Philips Lighting (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, has signed a partnership agreement with Honey Electric, an electrical construction and maintenance services firm located in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. 

Honey Electric specializes in electrical contracting for commercial, agricultural, industrial, and solar installations in the province of Ontario and is now positioned to offer Philips GreenPower LED lighting to their horticulture customers in Ontario and beyond. 

“We’re seeing a surge in the interest and adoption of LEDs in a variety of horticulture applications. Therefore, it is important that growers across North America have access to our LED technology through a broad network of partners with proficiency and knowledge in a variety of areas,” said Ron DeKok, Director of North America Horticulture at Philips Lighting. “Honey Electric is a great fit for our partner network because of their knowledge of the industry and readiness to collaborate and transact but can also manage and oversee installations.” 

"Honey Electric Ltd.'s partnership with Philips Lighting allows us to continue to further strengthen our ability to serve our customers’ lighting needs in market segments where interest for LED lighting is growing fast,” said Joe Gillier, Agriculture Division Manager of Honey Electric.

Philips Lighting continues to expand its U.S. and Canada partner network, further demonstrating the commitment by the company to lead the horticulture industry as the innovative LED lighting systems provider for the greenhouse industry.    

For further information, please contact:

Philips Lighting – North America Horticulture LED Solutions

Barbara Perzanowski

Tel: +1 720-900-8315

E-mail: barb.perzanowski@philips.com

Honey Electric 

Joe Gillier

Tel: +1 519-351-0484

Email: joegill@honeyelectric.com

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Philips Lighting Announces First Russian LED Cucumber Project With Agrokultura Group and New Partner Svetogor

Philips Lighting Announces First Russian LED Cucumber Project With Agrokultura Group and New Partner Svetogor

Philips Lighting today announced it has installed its first LED grow light project for cucumber cultivation in Russia with Agrokultura Group, LLC, and its new business partner Svetogor. Agrokultura is a large supplier of greenhouse grown cucumbers and tomatoes located near Moscow. The company is trialing a hybrid installation with HID top lighting and GreenPower LED interlighting on 7,550 square meters with the aim of increasing its yields, predictability and reducing energy costs.

“We use lighting from September to April in our cucumber greenhouse for about 4,000 hours. Reducing the electricity costs for our lighting system could significantly increase the profitability of the greenhouse,” says Vladimir Chernyshev, CEO of Agrokultura Group, LLC. “Besides reducing energy costs, we are expecting to see an increase in yields which would allow us to pay back the LED modules within the first three to four years of their use. The return on investment we achieve in the trial will be crucial for helping us decide whether to switch our full 30 hectares of greenhouse to LED lighting. We are partnering with Philips Lighting because of its high-quality technical solutions and ability to supply big orders in a relatively fast time frame.”

“Our recent participation in Russian projects like LLC Agro-Invest, the largest LED project in the world for cucumbers and tomatoes, has created a lot of interest across Russia and other parts of the world,” said Udo van Slooten, Business Leader Horticulture at Philips Lighting. “We know that lighting costs make up a significant share of operational costs for Russian growers, and we are eager to help Agrokultura increase its yields and reduce its energy consumption with the use of our LED technologies.”

This project is being implemented by Svetogor, a turnkey project lighting and horticultural lighting company headquartered in Moscow. Svetogor produces its own innovative HID lighting fixtures for greenhouses and has built up a great deal of experience in LED technologies based on its implementation of more than 100 large-scale projects with LED lighting in the last five years.

The partnership with Philips Lighting was announced on Wednesday morning @ Fruit Logistica, the fresh produce trade show in Berlin, February 7-9, 2018

www.philips.com/horti

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Vertical Farming, LEDs and The Flavor of Leafy Greens

Vertical Farming, LEDs and The Flavor of Leafy Greens

A large climate cell with endless racks of microgreens illuminated with soft pink or white light works 24/7 to bring delicious microgreens to the kitchens of some of Amsterdam’s top restaurants. GROWx is one of Europe’s most known vertical farms and its offering of more than 20 microgreen varieties has quickly earned its spot within Amsterdam’s top 10% restaurants. At the moment it is only microgreens and only for the city of Amsterdam but the ambitions of GROWx’s founders are to re-invent agriculture for urban areas. ‘This revolution can’t come fast enough’ says the CEO and Co-Founder, Mr.John Apesos.

This high tech, futuristic looking environment is what the farming of the future could look like. Nevertheless, when it comes to the end customers, restaurant chefs and their patrons in this case, it is primarily about flavor and freshness. These microgreens go from the farm to the dinner plate in a matter of hours and according Mr.Apesos this is what keeps the flavors intense. The varieties include everything from the common pea-shoots to the more exotic ones like the borage crest.

The GROWx vertical farm is fully equipped with Valoya’s LED grow lights. The primary spectrum used is the AP673L which has been optimized for the vegetative stage of plant development. This means that plants grown under this light will quickly develop biomass (stems and large, thick leaves) while flowering will be delayed or completely prevented making it ideal for microgreens and leafy greens in general. In a research conducted by Wageningen University and Democritus University, the AP673L spectrum boosts the development of chicoric, rosmarinic and caffeic acids and other phenolic compounds making the plants more flavorful and nutrient dense1. The other spectrum is NS1, a sunlight replica spectrum, good for the entire growth cycle. Both spectra are wide and patented with a high CRI (Color Rendering Index) value meaning that plants and other objects look natural under them i.e. their colors look as they would under natural sunlight. 

1 F. Bantis et al.(2016) Artificial LED lighting enhances growth characteristics and total phenolic content of Ocimum basilicum, but variably affects transplant success, Scientia Horticulturae 198 (2016) 277–283

About Valoya Oy

Valoya is a provider of high end, energy efficient LED grow lights for use in crop science, vertical farming and medicinal plants cultivation. Valoya LED grow lights have been developed using Valoya's proprietary LED technology and extensive plant photobiology research. Valoya's customer base includes numerous vertical farms, greenhouses and research institutions all over the world (including 8 out of 10 world’s largest agricultural companies). 

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Panasonic Vertical Farm in Full Operation

February.5, 2018 - 23:28 — Evangeline_H 311 pageviews

Panasonic Vertical Farm in Full Operation; Special Horticultural LED Lighting Deployed to Increase Vegetable Production

Multinational electronics company Panasonic will start growing and marketing high-value vegetables in China from March 2018 with its vertical farm in Suzhou. Those vegetables will be made into salads and sold to up to 30 shops in Suzhou and Shanghai.

(Image: Panasonic)

In China, food safety has become more and more important. Panasonic claims monitoring and management at each stage will be thoroughly executed in hope to increase the sales in the Chinese market.

Panasonic in 2016 started running a vertical farm in its electronic component manufacturing subsidiary in Suzhou. The vertical farm, taking a 1,000 square meter area, is now officially in full operation.

The company aims to raise the plant production by 3 times to a monthly production of 9 tons.

Prices of the vegetables will be 2-2.5 times higher, compared with prices local plant growers set for their production. Those vegetables grown in the vertical farm were sold to merely two channels in Suzhou—the AEON MALL and the Izumiya Supermarket. In the future, Panasonic plans to approach local shops as well, broadening the channel to market its plant production to the Chinese community.

Panasonic uses special LED lighting to provide and adjust the light in the vertical farm to ensure the temperature, humidity, and the density of carbon dioxide are maintained at a certain level. That turns the farm an environment suitable to grow β-carotene-rich plants anytime of the year.

The company says the salads it offers are nutrient-rich and safe to eat, and looks for collaborations with local restaurants. It will also be working with local e-commerce companies to develop strategies to market both high-value vegetables and the equipment in the vertical farm.

People in China have become more aware of food safety after being affected by overuse of pesticides. The awareness towards vertical farms thus increased. Plant factories have been built in several regions in China since 2010.

At the early stage, these facilities were simply regarded as the demonstration of advanced plant production technology by governments and big corporations. Later on, more companies established their vertical farms once the government released more subsidies.  

Establishments across the nation eventually scaled up, with the largest facility (approximately 9,000 square meters) that is able to produce 45 tons of vegetables on a monthly basis.

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Philips Lighting North America launches new GreenPower LED Interlighting with greater efficacy and plug and play installation

February 6, 2018 

Philips Lighting North America launches new GreenPower LED Interlighting with greater efficacy and plug and play installation

Eindhoven, The Netherlands – Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting, announced the new Philips GreenPower LED Interlighting Generation 3 (Gen 3) is now available for the North America market. 

Philips GreenPower LED Interlighting Gen 3.jpg

 

Designed to be placed within the crop canopy, the bi-directional or sideways-facing LEDs of the Interlighting system direct growth-stimulating light on the most vital parts of crops to boost the yield of high-wire tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. The added light is particularly valuable during the darker months of November through February. Moreover, the new Interlighting Gen 3 will do this highly efficiently as it offers a system efficacy of 2.7 to 3.0 μmol/J.

“We are excited to roll out the new Interlighting Gen 3 module to the North America market. It has been very well received by growers in Europe since being introduced to the European market at the IPM show last year,” said Ron DeKok, Business Development Director Horticulture at Philips Lighting. “Growers in Canada and the U.S. are eager to have access to the Gen 3 model because it offers a higher light intensity compared to the previous Interlighting module and it’s much easier to install.”  

Installation ease and flexibility

The new system is designed to simplify the installation process with a plug and play connector and flexible cable connections. The Philips Interlighting Gen 3 is available in two lengths, 2.0 meter and 2.5 meters, and two light intensities—a high output version and regular output version.  The high output version operates at 81 to 100 watts with an efficacy of 3.0 μmol/J; the regular output module operates at 64 to 79 watts with an efficacy 2.7 to 2.8 μmol/J. 

Proven highest yields

After seeing strong results achieved by the tomato grower Herdi as well as record yields of 107 kg achieved last season by Proefstation Hoogstraten, Belgian tomato grower Tomaline decided to install the GreenPower LED InterLighting system in the new greenhouse it will build. “The very high light output of 220 μmol/s and resulting high efficacy of 2.8 μmol/J will give us exactly what we need to increase our yield,” said Kris van Haute co-owner of Tomaline. “The system comes as either a 2 meter or 2.5 meter version allowing us to tailor it to our specific situation and create a uniform light distribution right until the end of the row.”

Developed in cooperation with growers

Udo van Slooten, Business Leader Horticulture at Philips Lighting said, “These latest innovations in our horticultural applications are a result of the long-term collaboration between Philips Lighting and our customers across the world. By working closely with them, we were able to identify exactly how we could further advance the system. As a result, we have developed and introduced the new Philips GreenPower LED Interlighting Gen 3 system providing greater ease of installation and a higher light efficacy which in turn results in higher yields”.

For further information, please contact:

Barbara Perzanowski

Marketing Communications Specialist

Philips Lighting – Horticulture LED Solutions

E-mail: barb.perzanowski@philips.com

www.philips.com/horti  

About Philips Lighting

Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting products, systems, and services, delivers innovations that unlock business value, providing rich user experiences that help improve lives. Serving professional and consumer markets, we lead the industry in leveraging the Internet of Things to transform homes, buildings and urban spaces. With 2016 sales of EUR 7.1 billion, we have approximately 34,000 employees in over 70 countries. News from Philips Lighting is located at http://www.newsroom.lighting.philips.com

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North American Growers Welcome New Tool To Manage Light

North American Growers Welcome New Tool To Manage Light

 JANUARY 26, 2018  URBAN AG NEWS

“Giving growers the tools to manage light quality is one of our specialities,” says Chris Higgins, General Manager of Hort Americas. “For example, we were one of the first suppliers of LED grow lights in the US. At that time, we saw the crop advantages that growers realised when they had the ability to manipulate spectrum along with intensity.”

The company recently started a partnership with Sudlac. Sudlac’s shading products were introduced in the US last year and received much interest from a wide variety of growers. “We’re giving North American growers a new tool to manage light.”

Hort Americas was founded in 2009 although the team has been actively involved in commercial horticulture for much longer. Strategically positioned in Dallas, it is centrally located to serve its customers in the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. It has also partnered with the Dutch supplier Horticoop which provides access to knowledge and products developed by leading European horticulture companies.

Proven products

The decision to partner with Sudlac was based on the European manufacturer’s proven ideas and concepts to manage light and protect the greenhouse structure, says Chris. “As a company we spend a significant amount of our time managing light in greenhouses and other horticultural production facilities.”

In the past shading products were designed to reduce the amount of light when the sun was at its brightest. “However, when we started talking to Sudlac we weren’t only looking at shading products. Additionally, we were looking at tools that would complement our product range and that would allow growers to manipulate light quality as well as light intensity in the greenhouse. Sudlac’s product portfolio includes such products and as a result has been enjoying growing success in Europe,” says the general manager.

Once Chris and his team had indeed established that Sudlac had the sort of high-quality products they were looking for the decision to form a partnership came down to people. “We also considered competitive products but ultimately it was Sudlac’s team that won us over. They are very open and easy to talk to. They have a simple philosophy, when their business partners do well, they do well.  And working together for shared goals is something we always strive for.”

Wide range of climates

The main shading products imported to North America from Europe are Eclipse LD, Optifuse and Transpar. Eclipse LD is a removable shading agent that protects crops against excessive light and heat; Optifuse is a removable diffuse coating; while Transpar is a shading agent that reflects heat radiation.

“Our growers experience a vast variety of climate conditions and grow a wide variety of crops. These products are best suited to cover all possibilities,” says Chris.

The customers also range from very large to small growers with high value crops. “We want all growers to be able to enhance their crops using shading products. Early interest has come from growers with high value crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, leafy greens and herbs as well as ornamental potted crops. We are also hearing from growers with a wide variety of niche crops that range from general ag research to high end medicinal and biopharmaceutical crops.”

Hort Americas introduced the first products to the North American market in the middle of 2017. “We are still in the process of convincing growers that this technology is going to work, and we have had a huge amount of interest so far. We expect demand to take off when the shading season starts this year!”

For more information:

Hort Americas
2801 Renee St
Bedford, Texas 76021
469-532-2383
hortamericas.com

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A New Report on SSL’s Energy-Saving Potential in Horticultural Applications

A New Report on SSL’s Energy-Saving Potential in Horticultural Applications

DOE has just released a report that examines the energy-saving potential of LED lighting in horticultural applications. All three main categories of indoor horticulture were investigated: supplemented greenhouses, which use electric lighting to extend the hours of daylight, supplement low levels of sunlight on cloudy days, or disrupt periods of darkness to alter plant growth; non-stacked indoor farms, where plants are grown in a single layer on the floor under ceiling-mounted lighting; and vertical farms, where plants are stacked along vertical shelving to maximize grow space, and the lighting is typically mounted within the shelving units.

DOE utilized data from U.S. agriculture and horticulture censuses, as well as catalog and product specification databases for horticultural lighting products, and interviewed growers, utilities, lighting manufacturers, retailers, and other industry experts.

Among the findings:

  • Based on current performance, LED lighting offers 24% to 30% reduction in electricity consumption per ft2 of grow area for each of the three categories.
  • Non-stacked indoor farms employ the most energy-intensive lighting, with incumbent technology using about 60W/ft2 and LED lighting 41.8 W/ft2.  
  • Of the three categories of indoor horticulture, vertical farms have seen the highest adoption of LED lighting, which comprises 66% of all lighting in that application, while LED products make up only 2% of the lighting in supplemented greenhouses and 4% of the lighting in non-stacked indoor farms.
  • In 2017, horticultural lighting installations in the U.S. consume a total of 5.9 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity per year, which is equivalent to 61 trillion Btu (tBtu) of source energy consumption. Of this 5.9 TWh, 89% comes from lighting in non-stacked indoor farms, 10% from supplemental lighting in greenhouses, and 1% from lighting in vertical farms.
  • If all horticultural lighting today was converted to LED technology, annual horticultural lighting consumption would be reduced to 3.6 TWh, or 37 tBtu, which represents energy savings of 40%, or $240 million.

For the complete findings, download the full report.

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Philips Lighting Introduces New GreenPower LED Toplighting at IPM Essen With Higher Efficacy, Light output and a Longer Lifetime

Philips Lighting Introduces New GreenPower LED Toplighting at IPM Essen With Higher Efficacy, Light Output And a Longer Lifetime

January 25, 2018

Eindhoven, The Netherlands – Philips Lighting (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, today announced the introduction of new GreenPower LED toplighting modules at IPM Essen that helps greenhouse growers improve the growth of lettuce, herbs, and high-wire vegetable crops. Both new versions offer a higher light efficacy of up to 3.3 µmol/J, a longer lifetime of 35,000 burning hours and exceptional energy efficiency compared to the former toplighting module. The 520 µmol/s photon flux version is designed to cost-efficiently enhance growth of high-wire tomato and cucumber crops by producing the optimal amount of light in a full LED system, while using less energy. The 620 µmol/s version is ideal for increasing light output for horizontal cultivation of lettuce and herbs. 

Best choice for increasing light or decreasing energy costs

“For many years, the use of LED toplighting for greenhouse vegetable cultivation has been steadily growing. Now we can offer an even more efficient solution for a variety of vegetable growing needs,” said Udo van Slooten, Business Leader Horticulture at Philips Lighting. “Whether growers are looking to apply more light to leafy greens or herbs or focus to reduce their energy costs, the improved GreenPower LED toplighting can meet both requirements.”

Uniform light distribution and long lifetime

The 620 µmol/s version GreenPower LED toplighting module may be mounted on a trellis and deliver uniform light distribution. This gives growers the flexibility to create light plans without the use of an additional C profile. The average lifetime is much longer to increase the return on investment – a rated average lifetime of 35,000 burning hours compared to 25,000 of the former toplighting module. The 400V input voltage module will replace the current 400V toplighting portfolio, and will be available before summer 2018 for the European, Asian and Australian markets. 

For further information, please contact:

Philips Lighting Horticulture LED Solutions

Daniela Damoiseaux, Global Marcom Manager Horticulture at Philips Lighting

Tel: +31 6 31 65 29 69
E-mail:  daniela.damoiseaux@philips.com 
www.philips.com/horti 

About Philips Lighting

Philips Lighting (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting products, systems and services, delivers innovations that unlock business value, providing rich user experiences that help improve lives. Serving professional and consumer markets, we lead the industry in leveraging the Internet of Things to transform homes, buildings and urban spaces. With 2016 sales of EUR 7.1 billion, we have approximately 34,000 employees in over 70 countries. News from Philips Lighting is located at the Newsroom, Twitter and LinkedIn. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page. 

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Philips Lighting’s New GrowWise Control System Gives Growers and Researchers More Flexibility and Control For LED Cultivation 

Philips Lighting’s New GrowWise Control System Gives Growers and Researchers More Flexibility and Control For LED Cultivation

January 22, 2018

Eindhoven, The Netherlands – Philips Lighting (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, today announced the introduction of the GrowWise Control System which allows growers and researchers to easily create and run custom LED light recipes to meet the needs of specific crops to improve quality, productivity, and efficiency. The control system has been developed to work with the GreenPower LED production module “Dynamic”. It can be used as a standalone system or integrated into a climate or logistic computer system.

Custom light recipes to meet specific needs

“This is our first step towards digitization of Horti LED lighting systems,” said Udo van Slooten, Business Leader Horticulture at Philips Lighting. “The GrowWise Control System is the hardware platform that will allow us to build digital lighting control in the future. This will replace our current analog research systems.”

More control over every plant

A Philips Lighting light recipe provides the settings for the light spectrum, intensity, illumination moment, uniformity and positioning. The GrowWise Control System allows growers to create their own time-based recipes. Using a recipe, a grower can steer specific plant characteristics, from compactness, color intensity and branch development to flowering and more to improve results. With the GrowWise Control System, growers can give all the plants in their facility exactly what they need when they need it with just one LED system to enhance cultivation.

The GrowWise Control System controls 4 LED color spectra: Deep Red, Blue, White, and Far Red as well as the light duration and intensity. The system is easily updatable and has a maintainable digital system, making it future proof. The GrowWise Control System will be initially launched in Western Europe to work with the production module dynamic.

Philips Lighting will show its new products during IPM Essen, which takes place from January 23 to 26.

For further information, please contact:

Philips Lighting Horticulture LED Solutions

Daniela Damoiseaux, Global Marcom Manager Horticulture at Philips Lighting

Tel: +31 6 31 65 29 69
E-mail:  daniela.damoiseaux@philips.com 
www.philips.com/horti 

About Philips Lighting

Philips Lighting (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting products, systems and services, delivers innovations that unlock business value, providing rich user experiences that help improve lives. Serving professional and consumer markets, we lead the industry in leveraging the Internet of Things to transform homes, buildings and urban spaces. With 2016 sales of EUR 7.1 billion, we have approximately 34,000 employees in over 70 countries. News from Philips Lighting is located at the Newsroom, Twitter and LinkedIn. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page. 

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LED, Farming, Indoor Farming IGrow PreOwned LED, Farming, Indoor Farming IGrow PreOwned

How Can You Grow Healthier Crops With Affordable Lighting Systems?

 

 

New research from the Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering consortium will revolutionize greenhouse lighting systems.

 

How Can You Grow Healthier Crops With Affordable Lighting Systems?

New research from the Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering consortium will revolutionize greenhouse lighting systems.

The Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering (GLASE) consortium is a partnership between controlled environment agriculture (CEA) growers, plant physiologists, horticulturists, trade groups, produce buyers, agricultural engineers, lighting manufacturers, government agencies, and others to pioneer and commercialize breakthrough technologies that deliver greenhouse crop and energy solutions. Established in 2017 by Cornell University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications (LESA) at Rensselaer, GLASE unites world-class engineers and horticultural researchers with private and public stakeholders. The consortium goal is to transform the way lighting systems operate in greenhouses and indoor farms dramatically reducing their energy consumption while increasing crop yields and quality. To achieve these objectives GLASE is proposing a multidisciplinary approach to close the gaps between different segments of the CEA industry and to create new innovative solutions.
 
GLASE has secured $5 million for research over the next seven years and is inviting industry members to join the consortium and help advance the future of the controlled environment agriculture industry.
 
Find more about GLASE at www.glase.org.

Announcements

GLASE researchers awarded $2.4 million to explore the viability of indoor agriculture


GLASE Principal Investigators Neil Mattson and Tessa Pocock were recently awarded an “Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems” (INFEWS) $1.92 million grant from a partnership between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The multidisciplinary team formed by researchers from Cornell University and the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems and Applications (LESA) will develop a systems modeling approach to compare the economics and environmental effects of CEA versus field vegetable supply chains.

This research project also evaluates novel systems to optimize economic benefits as well as water, energy, and other resource use efficiencies in CEA vegetable production. It fosters industry-research networks and workforce development programs to facilitate the acceptance, adoption, and continued improvement of viable CEA systems in metropolitan areas.
Read more
 

Proposed product information label for horticultural lighting applications

With the recent advances in light-emitting diode (LED) technology, CEA growers have multiple horticultural lighting options to choose from. However, growers are often unable to compare technologies and LED options because of insufficient information about lamp performance metrics.

A team of researchers led by GLASE collaborator Dr. A.J. Both from Rutgers University and including GLASE Scientific Advisory Board members Dr. Bruce Bugbee from Utah State University and Dr. Chieri Kubota from The Ohio State University (formerly from the University of Arizona) has proposed a product information label that facilitates the comparison of horticultural lamps from different manufacturers. A peer-reviewed article discussing the product label was published in the Technology and Product Reports section of HortTechnology in August 2017. HortTechnology 27(4):544-549.
Link for the paper and other research resources here

Events 

Horticultural lighting panel at the IES Consuming Light conference


The Future of Horticulture Lighting in Urban Agriculture - Consuming Light
DATE: January 17, 2018
LOCATION: District Hall - Boston Innovation District,  75 Northern Ave., Boston, MA 02210
TIME: 5:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Horticulture lighting is one of today's fastest growing markets. GLASE researcher Dr. Tessa Pocock will be part of a facilitated panel of researchers, educators and industry experts exploring this evolving specialty and the impact that advanced lighting technologies are having on how we grow, harvest and source a wide variety of crops. Attendees will learn about horticulture lighting metrics and the way growers are using prescribed spectrum, intensity and timing to manipulate plant growth and yield. Register here

Join today

If you have any questions or would like to know more about GLASE, please contact its executive director Erico Mattos at em796@cornell.edu

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Valoya Launches a Line of LED Grow Lights for Greenhouses

Valoya Launches a Line of LED Grow Lights for Greenhouses

The BL-Series are sturdy yet lightweight LED bars optimized for greenhouse cultivation of a wide variety of plants. This new series combines the features of Valoya’s recently launched BX-Series, with the chainability feature. Up to 16 luminaires can be daisy chained together with a single mains input making the installation simpler and removing excessive cables. Additionally, the LED driver is built inside the luminaire further simplifying the handling of the luminaire.

With the light intensity of up to 2,1 µmol/W and a true wide spectrum, these luminaires can provide sufficient light for any plant cultivated in a greenhouse setting. The luminaire is robust and will not be affected by dust or by getting water sprayed on it in powerful jets (Ingress Protection rating – IP66; Impact rating – IK03).

The fixture is slim, compact and easy to handle. The BL120 model is 120 cm (4’) long and weighs only 3,2 kg (7.1 lb). A lightweight aluminum casing along with temperature and humidity stabilizing end-caps bring improvements in thermal dissipation, protecting the LED chips from heat caused decay resulting in a longer lifespan of the product (100% efficiency the first 35000 hours after which it drops only 10% for the next 15000 hours and continues operating further on). 

The BL-Series is manufactured in Finland. Like all other Valoya’s products it has been designed with GMP compliant production facilities in mind.

All Valoya’s standard spectra can be fitted in the BL-Series as per customers’ requirements. The products are immediately available to order through any of Valoya’s resellers.

To learn more about the BL-Series, please download the brochure.

About Valoya Oy

Valoya is a provider of high end, energy efficient LED grow lights for use in crop science, vertical farming, and medicinal plants cultivation. Valoya LED grow lights have been developed using Valoya's proprietary LED technology and extensive plant photobiology research. Valoya's customer base includes numerous vertical farms, greenhouses and research institutions all over the world (including 8 out of 10 world’s largest agricultural companies). 

Additional information:

Valoya Oy, Finland

Tel: +358 10 2350300

Email: sales@valoya.com

Web: www.valoya.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valoyafi/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/valoya

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Philips Lighting Installs LED Project At Madestein UK, Which Supplies Fresh Lettuce To Major UK Retailers

Philips Lighting Installs LED Project At Madestein UK, Which Supplies Fresh Lettuce To Major UK Retailers

Philips Lighting today announced that Madestein UK, in Chichester, UK, which supplies fresh lettuce and herbs to the UK’s major food retailers, food service companies and wholesale markets, is installing Philips GreenPower LED toplighting to improve the quality of its crops. Madestein UK became convinced about the benefits of growing with LED grow lights after trialing Phillips GreenPower LED Toplights and visiting several growers in The Netherlands and Finland.

“It’s great to see how our network of growers are ambassadors across the entire globe,” said Udo van Slooten, Business Leader Horticulture at Philips Lighting. “In this case, they were able to show how LEDs can help them speed up their crop cycles and grow more compact plants. That’s the real value of working with people who are passionate about their professions.”

Madestein UK was founded in 1982 and has introduced many innovations to the UK market, including curly leaf lettuce in the late 1980s and living mixed lettuce in 2001. They currently focus on producing glasshouse lettuce and growing fresh basil all year. In addition to conventional growing methods, Madestein UK employs sustainable growing methods such as an Deep Flow hydroponic system which makes efficient use of water and minimizes the chances of groundwater contamination.

The company has been investigating LED grow lights for a long period and carried out several LED trials at its site in Chichester from 2014 to 2017.

Jonathan Zwinkels at Madestein UK says, “We are seeing a strong demand for UK grown lettuce and herbs, so we’ve been exploring ways to raise our productivity. We were impressed with what we saw in our trials and confirmed those views with visits to growers in The Netherlands and Finland who are using LEDs to grow lettuce. Our aim is to use LED grow lights to improve quality, reduce the impact of adverse weather conditions, and improve the shelf life of our products.”

Peter Zwinkels and his grandchildren Noah and Grace.

The LEDs will be installed by Philips Lighting’s Horti LED partner Cambridge HOK.

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The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Has Named The TotalGrow Pure Flowering 200 Lamp Winner of a 2018 AE50 Award.

 

 

 

St. Joseph, Michigan. – The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Has Named The TotalGrow Pure Flowering 200 Lamp Winner of a 2018 AE50 Award.

AE50 awards honor the year’s most innovative designs in engineering products or systems for the food and agriculture industries. The Pure Flowering Lamp will be featured in the January/February 2018 special issue of ASABE’s magazine Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World. For more details visit www.asabe.org/AE50 

TotalGrow’s chief biologist, Jeff Mastin, shared, “We are pleased and honored to receive this award. The Pure Flowering Lamp capitalizes on the spectral precision, efficiency and longevity of LEDs and TotalGrow’s extensive experience in the horticultural industry to provide this industry-leading solution for photoperiodic lighting to control the timing of flowering of daylength-sensitive crops. Increasing the awareness of this opportunity to significantly reduce power consumption and improve growth is a very valuable opportunity for all involved.”

Companies from around the world submit entries to the annual AE50 competition and up to 50 of the best products are chosen by a panel of international engineering experts. The judges select innovative products that will best advance engineering for the food and agriculture industries.

The AE50 awards program emphasizes the role of new products and systems in bringing advanced technology to the marketplace. These engineering developments help farmers, food processors and equipment manufacturers increase efficiency, enhance quality, improve safety, and increase profits.

Resource, a magazine geared to agricultural, biological and food system engineers worldwide, is produced by ASABE. The magazine is read by thousands involved in the agricultural, food and biological industries. Read more at www.asabe.org/Resource.

ASABE is an international scientific and educational organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food, and biological systems. Further information on the Society can be obtained by visiting www.asabe.org/.

For more information on TotalGrow horticultural lighting products visit totalgrowlight.com or contact jeffm@venntis.com.

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