The smart agrifood and more generally the agriculture 4.0 market is now worth half a million euros in Italy with a continuous and constant growth over time; applications in this field still cover a niche market, so what are the most used applications and in which specific field are they most used?
Urban Farming and Horticulture: what are we talking about?
The horticulture is a particular science that in recent years has seen an important growth; we are in fact talking about a set of methods capable of growing plants, improving their chemical quality, nutritional values and growth speed. One of the main reasons why this particular sector has developed in recent years, and will develop further in the future, lies in the incredible evolution of the LED lighting modules.
Traditional lamps have in fact been replaced by LED technology, thanks to features such as greater energy efficiency, better thermal performance and lighting control. This particular light source in fact allows a precise control of intensity and light spectrum, essential characteristics for the use in question. Let's see together how.
What are the advantages of LED applications for horticulture?
The LED projects for horticulture, generally made inside greenhouses or large indoor areas, offer many advantages particularly suited to the evolution of the world economy and agricultural development. In what is better a LED application:
- It offers the possibility to better adapt and control the environment in which the plants are grown, thus increasing the efficiency of the whole structure.
- By adapting the light intensity and spectrum to the cultivated species, it is also possible to achieve larger products harvested both in terms of quantity and quality, reducing water waste and side heating effects.
- It offers a high density of harvests in places close to urban centres, thus reducing pollution and transport costs.
- Service life usually between 35,000 and 100,000 hours compared to 24,000 hours for HPS lamps.
LED lighting and Horticulture: a winning combination
The requirements of lighting for horticulture are different from those of the traditional type. The wavelength used in horticulture by plants is between 400 and 700 nm and can be set through an LED lighting system; in this way you can achieve significant energy savings compared to traditional HPS lighting sources ranging from 35% to 45%. The development of applications within greenhouse and vertical farming is in great ferment with annual growth rates exceeding 35% on an annual basis, and further growth is expected over the next ten years. Within this general framework, the R&D departments of the leading LED manufacturers have seized the opportunity offered by the market, developing specific products for this sector.
The solutions proposed by Digimax for vertical farming
Digimax has been collaborating for many years with leading companies in the LED lighting market and is able to offer complete solutions specifically dedicated to the world of Horticulture. Mean Well, world leader in the industrial power supply market, has developed specific product series for this type of applications, including the HVGC-480 and HVGC-650 series, constant power dimmable LED drivers for outdoor lighting. The new series with Constant Power function allows you to adjust the output current while maintaining stable power of 480W or 650W (soon also the 1,000W version), making it ideal for all Indoor and Outdoor LED applications such as greenhouse and farm lighting. The Driver LED HVGC Meanwell LEDs are equipped with excellent features, including:
- Wide input voltage range between 180 Vac and 528 Vac
- Dimming possibility
- Fanless metal case
- IP65/IP67 to resist water and dust
- Operating temperature between -40° C and +90° C
- 5 years warranty
Even MechaTronix, specialized company in the design and manufacture of LED heatsinks, has for example designed a line of heatsinks specifically dedicated to LEDs for horticultural projects and therefore particularly suitable for High Bay LED luminaires, Spot Light and Horticulture Light. Coolbay® Giga-A is among the most appreciated products for use within this type of applications thanks to its technical dissipation characteristics.
With COB LED designed by Citizen it is possible to obtain a specific control of intensity and light spectrum in order to better adapt to the cultivated plant species; the CLU048 series for example has been conceived starting from the light characteristics required by the different phases of plant development such as growth, development and flowering.
Thanks to the experience developed and these strategic partnerships with the world's leading manufacturers of LED lighting solutions, Digimax is able to offer complete and professional solutions to handle requests from the horticultural sector, guaranteeing quality and high professionality.