The ultimate goal of the TTO research is to provide growers, suppliers, financiers and other decision makers in the greenhouse industry with directed insight, so that available lighting solutions are optimally used now and in the future. Interviews with the stakeholders clearly showed that much is unclear about LED lighting. Information must be accessible so that growers can make more informed choices. Also, there is a lack of knowledge about additional aspects of application of LED and financing lighting systems seems more important than efficiency.
Some outcomes of the research:
- The cost of LEDs has halved over the past five years. The efficiency has increased over the last five years so much, that large-scale use is only a matter of time.
- The costs per micromoles installed LED capacity are now a factor 4-5 times higher than SON-T.
- The lack of radiated heat and also the issue of the heat radiating from the armature on the 'wrong place' led to the fact that top lighting does not manifest itself in the energy saving.
- Based on the current state of affairs that LED is up to 36% more efficient than SON-T, the annual costs are about 50% higher to the detriment of LED
- LED gives, in the studies at the universities, barely higher crop production; however, the ability to omit light colors presents opportunities.
Project continuation
The recommendation from this project is to continue the platform 'exposure navigator' in particular for suppliers where there is a convenient repository of tools for the target group. Tools that are recommended in the short term:- Protocol for measuring lighting in 3D on behalf of interlighting
- Calculation table for light units
- Database research results for crops and the influence of control lighting
- Calculation models in relation to gas and electricity use.
This project is funded by the program Kas als energiebron, LTO of the innovation and action Glaskracht Netherlands and the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The final report of the project is available in Kas als Energiebron.