In modern greenhouses as well as in indoor and urban farms tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries but also salads and herbs have to be irradiated with artificial light when sunlight irradiance does not suffice for a healthy and timely cropping cycle. High Intensity Discharge (HID)-luminaires like Metal halide or Sodium vapour lamps still offer an economic feasible solution with comparable high ratios of photon output to electricity input. However, the development in LEDs with peaks in different spectral ranges result in increasingly efficient ultra violet, violet, deeb blue, blue, green, red, far red and broader-spectrum-white diodes.
While an increasing number of horticulture projects is now being equipped with LEDs, they often only use red and blue light since respective photons can be produced with the lowest electricity input resulting in lower running costs than comparable photon flux of best available HID-luminaires. Growing evidence from science and practice illustrates that the combination of these wavelengths alone is not enough to meet the strict requirements to produce healthy vegetables and fruits especially under the light of consumers’ tastes. For this reason, most producers still opt for hybrid solutions using HID & LED lights. The way forward is either to develop white LEDs with an efficient broad spectrum. Ponix Systems GmbH is following a different and more basic research oriented path:
Its LED-luminaire “Malina” includes diodes with eight different peak wavelengths and an additional broad-spectrum-white light. While the superposition of all wavelengths results in white light including all photon types that are needed to excite the plant receptors under different conditions, the overall efficiency drops to a value slightly beneath HID-lamps. However, with Malina it is possible to control each diode individually. Now the exact amount and type of photons can be delivered to the plants. These amounts and necessary compositions vary not only between species but also during the growing cycle from germination over vegetative and reproductive phases and even during day and night times and also depend on the incident direct and diffuse sunlight. Based on this knowledge and the Malina luminaires the farmer is capable of precisely optimising electricity input while taking best and individual care of the each plant. Furthermore, other goals including overall nutrient contents for better taste but also for individual adjusted nourishment, harvesting schedules, natural pest control and prevention as well as luminaire longevity can be pursued.
With this technology Ponix Systems GmbH contributes to opening a broad field of innovations for sustainable and competitive agriculture, agri-food and bio-based sectors. Resource-efficient eco-innovative food production and processing and the reduction of food losses (and wastes) on farm and along the value chain are main drivers with this regard. By reducing energy- and labour costs also for vertical urban farms, Malina furthermore supports the market diffusion of this upcoming and promising food production methodology based on minimised land, water, time and energy input.
Within the EASME Phase 1 flexiLED project overall objective was to facilitate a successful and sustainable market entry of the dynamic precision lighting solution Malina from Ponix Systems GmbH as a B2B-product for large-scale greenhouses and indoor, urban farms. Therefore, the feasibility of the business regarding technological- and economic viability had to be assessed while the markets and their participants needed to be analysed.
