Understanding the Key Metrics for Efficient and Productive Lighting Systems
Photo: Resource Innovation Institute
High-intensity lighting plays an important role in promoting plant growth and achieving optimal yields. However, selecting the right lighting system for your greenhouse facility can be challenging, as there are many different light quality, intensity, and efficiency metrics to consider. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), extended PAR (e-PAR), energy use (in watts), photosynthetic photon flux (PPF), and photon efficacy (PPE) are all important items to consider when making a lighting fixture decision.
In a recent blog post, members of the Resource Innovation Institute explore the various lighting metrics essential for controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) and their impact on the growth and development of greenhouse-grown crops and the financial sustainability of your operation.
The post takes a deep dive into two critical topics:
- Light Quality Metrics: Light quality is determined by the relative amount of blue, green, red, far-red, and other spectra emitted from a light source. By delivering certain amounts of photons from a particular part of the light spectrum, CEA cultivators can create different morphological and secondary metabolite reactions within their crops.
- Light Efficiency Metrics: Beyond light quality, a lighting fixture’s energy use is another crucial factor that plays an important role in a CEA operation’s sustainability and profitability. For example, a fixture’s energy use is not tied to its performance in plant growth, or its ability to create any light at all. A good portion of the energy used by high-intensity discharge lights is lost to heat production. The efficiency in converting watts to light is why light emitting diode (LED) fixtures are becoming the CEA industry standard.
The post also includes details on where to find CEA lighting fixture data. Lighting manufacturers will often share metrics on product packaging and their websites. For third-party vetting, the DesignLights Consortium offers a Qualified Product List (QPL), which offers CEA operators insight into the fixture’s “worst-case performance data.”
Learn more in the original Resource Innovation Institute post here.
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