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Energy-conscious crop cultivation

6th July 2021

Alex Lynn

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In order to feed the world’s growing population, large scale cultivation has become common, but there may be an environmental cost to ensuring a steady supply of crops all year round, regardless of weather conditions.

LED lighting offers output control for a uniform, constant lighting quality and luminosity can be adjusted to meet growth patterns. While LED lights are typically cooler in operation than traditional HPS bulbs, have a longer lifetime, lower energy consumption and lower maintenance costs than traditional horticultural lighting, programmable luminaires allow horticulturalists to control light to optimise growth and maximise energy efficiency.

On large farms or in large greenhouses, using individual luminaires is not efficient because each requires its own control system, with associated cabling and installation costs. Individual luminaires also require additional thermal management due to conversion or heat losses from the luminaires’ drivers, increasing energy costs.

A centralised current source distributing power directly to all the luminaires in the lighting system eliminates the need for individual drivers, reducing both bill of materials and associated installation costs. By precisely controlling the current through the LED, growers can closely match the LED spectra to the growth needs of the crop.

Artesyn’s iHP series of modular power supplies provide up to 24kW of programmable power and a true current source which can drive any LED luminaire. Horticulturalists can control the light to optimise the crop’s growth cycle via cloud-based or a locally connected PC.

The modular power supplies are scalable and can be used in multiple, serial or parallel configurations. The 3kW modules can be assembled to produce several MW in total. Each module offers accurate output voltage and current control.

The iHP is a powerful, flexible solution to significantly reduce both installation and running costs of horticultural lighting systems.

LEDs operate at cooler temperatures than traditional HPS bulbs, which results in lower radiated heat, while the centralised power source contributes to lower cooling and energy costs for the grower.

Artesyn’s iHP series of modular power supplies is available from Relec Electronics.