VertiCrop™ and Warehouse Growing
Current warehouse growing systems have some drawbacks.
Light is essential for plants to grow and the quality of light available is critical in ensuring maximum yields and healthy plants. Artificial lighting can be costly to run, energy intensive, and relatively inefficient. Conventional lighting systems can also generate unwanted heat, particularly in those climates where cooling may be needed. In addition it has been found that using artificial light sources can lead to unwelcome effects- for example red lettuces remaining green or poor or uneven growth patterns.
Energy costs are often high, particularly in systems where 24 hour lighting is used. Air circulation around the crop canopy may also be reduced where shelving systems with close lighting are used, and in such cases more energy is required to circulate air and keep temperatures stable.
New Solutions
The VertiCrop™ research team have been working with Philips, the acknowledged experts in the field of LED lighting. This research has led to the development of a commercially viable eco-friendly system, particularly for horticulture, which is well suited to a warehouse environment.
The VertiCrop™ warehouse growing system will use a bespoke hybrid lighting system, harnessing and channeling heat free natural daylight, complemented by the latest LED horticultural lighting technology from Philips.
The VertiCrop™ system operates by rotating plant trays on a closed loop conveyer which circulates the crop within the building. This ensures uniform exposure to light, which when combined with metered nutrient and water delivery, maximum air circulation and movement within the canopy, provides the optimum growing environment. This reduces running costs and carbon footprint and significantly enhances crop productivity.
LED lights
LEDs are increasingly used in horticulture as they provide certain advantages such as reduced energy consumption while generating less heat. The high initial cost outlay has been an issue, together with the large numbers of lights required and the limited range of PAR light wavelengths and light intensity.
However, less costly versions of horticulturalLEDs are not able to maintain the necessary light intensity needed for healthy plant growth. Including a reduced usable lifespan and the potential danger of generating excess heat in the casing. We believe our system and new technologies represent a considerable progression in the field of LED and hybrid lighting systems.