Starting in November, Sollum Technologies’ smart LED lighting solution will be implemented at Allegro Acres, a family-owned greenhouse pepper farm operating in Southwestern Ontario for over 20 years. Their 30-acre production capacity makes them one of the major greenhouse producers in the province. Thanks to Sollum’s solution, Allegro will be the first producer of greenhouse peppers during the winter period in Canada.
The key to Sollum’s patented smart lighting technology is the cloud-based SUN as a Service platform, which uses the fixture’s capacity to recreate, perfect and modulate the full spectrum of the Sun’s natural light with unparalleled precision. As a result, it can reproduce Southern Australia’s light cycle just as it can do so for Northern France’s light, which enables the cultivation of a fruit or vegetable regardless of its native climate and the location of the greenhouse.
Sollum’s fully programmable technology will contribute to maximizing the use of greenhouse facilities year-round. For Gene Ingratta, President of Allegro Acres, the technology will also be a key factor in ensuring produce quality: "Up until now, we could control everything in the greenhouse, except the most important factor, the sunlight," said Gene. "With Sollum's technology, we'll finally be able to reproduce sunlight to give the plants the exact spectrum and intensity they need at any given time." he added.
For Sollum Technologies President and CEO, Louis Brun, "Our technology’s adoption by a well-known player like Allegro Acres confirms the economic and environmental relevance of our technology for greenhouse producers. At this stage, we’ve established that our technology generates energy savings of over 30% and productivity increases that reach up to 40%. Our partners also observed noteworthy improvements in produce appearance, taste and smell, not to mention longer produce shelf life - which is an important factor for the entire supply chain. Finally, given the uncertain times, we’re convinced our technology can contribute to the food autonomy of the regions in which it’s deployed, 365 days a year."
For more information:
www.sollumtechnologies.com
www.ogvgconnect.com/grower-profiles/allegro-acres