LED is being applied on an increasingly large scale in greenhouses, for vegetable as well as floriculture crops. Although many crops have already been proven to grow well under 100% LED lighting, a hybrid solution is sometimes chosen as a first step.
When making the (partial) transition to LED the choice can be made for significant energy savings on the one hand, or for raising the light intensity on the other. In both cases, next to selecting the right LED spectrum, you should keep the total cultivation set up in mind to make the transition successful. This includes factors such as plant density, irrigation, and plant variety amongst others. HPS lighting creates radiation heat which LED lighting mostly lacks. The LED modules which are being applied most at the moment have an efficiency of 3,2 to 3,7 µmol light per joule electricity-input, and for HPS, with an efficiency of 1,8 µmol/J, this is 40 to 50% less. Besides the factor of energy savings, this big difference has the advantage that the climate can be controlled better by steering the warmth and light separately. However, consequently you as a grower should constantly be mindful to realize the right climate- and cultivation conditions for the way in which the LED lighting is being applied. Naturally there are big differences between cultivations, but there are several common factors as well. We would love to share what we have learned from experience.
