Study Finds Philips LED Lights Provide Improved Energy Efficiency and Production for Growing Food Crops in Space
March 22 2016 - 7:30AM
Business Wire
- University of Arizona and Philips
Lighting collaborated to create improved lighting for plant
production in Mars-lunar greenhouses
- Non-water-cooled LED lights used 56
percent less energy; more than doubling production of edible
biomass per kilowatt-hour (kWh) compared to previous water-cooled
high pressure sodium system
- Research findings to inform development
of new innovations in urban farming
Philips Lighting, a Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX, PHIA) company
and global leader in lighting, has collaborated with The University
of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC) to test
energy efficient ways to grow food that will help feed astronauts
on missions to the moon, Mars and beyond. A recent study, conducted
over a nine week period, found that replacing water-cooled
high-pressure sodium (HPS) systems with energy efficient LED
lighting from Philips in a prototype lunar greenhouse resulted in
an increased amount of high-quality, edible lettuce while
dramatically improving operational efficiency and use of resources.
Lettuce grown under Philips LED modules achieved up to 54 grams/kWh
of fresh weight, edible lettuce compared to lettuce grown under a
high pressure sodium system which achieved only 24 grams/kWh of
fresh weight, edible lettuce. This represents an energy savings of
56 percent.
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University of Arizona and Philips
Lighting collaborated to create improved lighting for plant
production in Mars-lunar greenhouses. (Photo: Business Wire)
“The lunar greenhouses equipped with Philips LED modules
provided the light needed to produce the same amount of indoor
crops that the specialized water-cooled sodium systems provide
while significantly decreasing the amount of electrical energy
used,” said Gene Giacomelli, Ph.D and CEAC Director. “Findings from
this study are critical in that not only can it be applied to
growing food in space but can be applied to farming techniques in
places where there is a shortage of water and good agricultural
land right here on this planet.”
Philips GreenPower LED toplighting was installed and programmed
with a customized “light recipe” developed by plant specialists at
Philips to optimize the results. Light recipes are formulated by
taking into account a variety of factors including light spectrum,
intensity, uniformity and relative position of the lamp to plant
canopy. These are combined to develop specific plant
characteristics such as compactness, color intensity and branch
development.
In addition, the LED modules, which create less concentrated
heat loads than HPS lamps, even without water cooling, can be
placed closer to the plants resulting in uniform light distribution
throughout the greenhouse. This ensures all plants receive the same
level and quality of light, resulting in better, more uniform plant
quality and a more predictable yield. The Philips LED systems also
cool independently, which means no additional investment is
required in cooling water distribution.
“Dr. Giacomelli and his team at CEAC have been on the cutting
edge of pioneering research that is uncovering new ways to grow
crops in closed and controlled environments. Results from this
study will not only impact growing crops in space but will provide
tangible sustainability benefits for indoor farming on our own
planet,” commented Blake Lange, Business Development Manager of the
Philips City Farming Division. “We know that it is becoming more
difficult for traditional farming practices to keep up with the
demand for high-quality, locally grown food, particularly in areas
of high population density and with local water shortages. The work
we are doing is focused on driving innovation of new farming
technologies that allow food crops to grow in indoor environments,
absent of natural light and in close proximity of cities and major
population centers, thus reducing the distance from farm to
fork.”
“NASA has been working with universities for over 25 years to
discover how the use of LEDs can support plant growth in closed
environments. Over that time we have used patented LED technology
as part of the Astroculture plant growth chambers for the Space
Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS), NASA’s ground
based Habitat Demonstration Unit, as well as NASA’s VEGGIE plant
unit on the ISS,” said Ray Wheeler, a NASA plant
physiologist. “It is fascinating to see how LED plant lighting
has expanded so rapidly around the world and continues to further
develop as we have seen most recently with the Mars-Lunar
Greenhouse Project at the University of Arizona.”
About the StudyThe project was completed over a six month
period by a team led by Dr. Gene Giacomelli within the Mars-Lunar
Greenhouse created by Sadler Machine Co. During a nine week period,
four harvests of lettuce heads weighing 5 to 6 ounces were
analyzed. All plant production and growing practices remained
constant between two distinct growing systems—LEDs with the
specially developed light recipes from Philips Lighting versus a
traditional high pressure sodium system, which included a glass
water jacket for removing the concentrated heat from the lamp
bulb.
About the University of Arizona CEACThe University of
Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center located in
Tucson, Arizona is focused on the science and engineering of
maximizing plant production within controlled environments. The
Mars-Lunar Greenhouse project is a NASA collaboration supported by
the Arizona-NASA Steckler Space Grant, which supports university
research and technology development activities to achieve
innovative research and expanded technology applications.
About Philips LightingPhilips Lighting, a Royal
Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) company, is the global leader
in lighting products, systems and services. Our understanding of
how lighting positively affects people coupled with our deep
technological know-how enable us to deliver digital lighting
innovations that unlock new business value, deliver rich user
experiences and help to improve lives. Serving professional and
consumer markets, we sell more energy efficient LED lighting than
any other company. We lead the industry in connected
lighting systems and services, leveraging the Internet of Things to
take light beyond illumination and transform homes, buildings and
urban spaces. In 2015, we had sales of EUR 7.4 billion and employed
33,000 people worldwide. News from Philips Lighting is located at
www.philips.com/newscenter.
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Philips LightingMelissa Kanter,
732-563-3994melissa.kanter@philips.com
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