Ready for the future
Van der Harg believes strongly in LED lighting. The construction of the new greenhouse prompted him to fit out his company in such a way as to get the next generation properly ready for the future. A further advantage of LEDs is that they can be used with the existing electrical connection, meaning that no costly additional work has to be done to the CHP. “I believe that LEDs are the future, which is why I’m opting for LEDs now. It’ll make the company ready for the future,” says van der Harg. “Other projects involving LED lighting have also shown that artificial lighting improves business operations, increases control over the processes and strengthens the crop. I am therefore assuming that the investment will quickly pay for itself. Not only because of the energy savings, but also the improvement in plant quality. The upcoming period will be an educational one in which we will gain a great deal of experience of growing under LEDs.”
About Leo van der Harg
Once they start using the new greenhouse, Leo van der Harg bv will produce 5 million pot roses a year. This gives them a share of some 10% of the European market. After the expansion the company will have a total growing area of 36,000 m2. The new greenhouse, which is to be used for blooming, is 7,000 m2 in size and is lit using hybrid lighting, a combination of 1000 W of HID and LED toplighting. This combination provides additional options for managing the crop. As LEDs do not generate radiant heat, temperature and lighting can be controlled separately. The system attains an overall light level of 120 µmol. The lighting is on for 5000 hours a year, 1000 of which are either only with LEDs or only with HIDs. This depends on the temperature in the greenhouse.
Lights Interaction Agro will supply both the HID and the LED lighting and supervise the installation of the LEDs. House installer PB Techniek will install the entire lighting system. All parties involved are looking forward to close collaboration and an excellent final result.