Price-based dimming: Optimizing supplemental lighting around energy costs
Source: HD.com
“A lot of times in order to get one kilo, you’re spending a lot more on energy” Price-based dimming: Optimizing supplemental lighting around energy costs Commercial greenhouse growers have spent much of the past decade becoming familiar with the transition from high-pressure sodium to fixed-spectrum LED lighting. "Now, with the advanced dynamic 4-channel fixture, growers can have different lighting strategies," he says.
He elaborates on Sollum's trials, which have shown production increases of about 15% to 20% across tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, strawberries, and lettuce when lighting strategies change while other environmental conditions remain the same, compared with a fixed-spectrum LED. "When light output is reduced because of electricity pricing, the spectrum can also be adjusted toward wavelengths that remain useful to the crop." For example, if a tomato crop is targeting 350 µmol/m²/s and lighting is reduced to 100 µmol/m²/s, the system can increase the proportion of red light while reducing blue, green, and far-red components.
Being a Plant Physiologist, Abhay believes that light is an important factor that has a potent impact on photosynthesis; hence, growers need to synchronize the temperature, humidity, VPD, CO2, air flow and fertigation in order to optimize the plant response. Denis Dullemans joins MechaTronix as Chief Commercial Officer Far-red light could help growers identify high-response tomato genotypes Taking greenhouse coating off after two weeks, then applying it again two weeks later Agtira finances lighting installation for extra cucumbers Bencont Greenvision expands greenhouse with 5-hectare project in Slovakia Related Articles Price-based dimming: Optimizing supplemental lighting around energy costs "This type of project reflects where we believe controlled environment agriculture is heading" Hortilux Schréder declared bankrupt, restart under consideration "We wanted one SKU that covers more of the site" Lighting: what comes after the efficacy race?
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
