LED Lighting cut carbon dioxide emissions by 570 million tons in 2017

We all know that LEDs are efficient and can help save energy by displacing older, less efficient lighting technologies. But how much energy is really being saved? 162 coal-fired power plants worth of energy, according to IHS Markit.

The efficiency of LEDs is essentially what makes them environmentally friendly,” comments Jamie Fox, principal analyst, lighting & LEDs group. “Therefore, LED conversion is unlike other measures, which require people to reduce consumption or make lifestyle changes.”

We think Fox is 100% right. LED lighting has the opportunity to save massive amounts of energy, not because LEDs are efficient, but because they can be BETTER at providing light and happen to be efficient.

Growers select LED lighting because the technology has a better spectrum, can provide better uniformity and ultimately can help produce amazing plants with higher yield at a lower operational cost. The rest of the world benefits from reduced contribution to climate change and improved sustainability of our food and plant production industries.

Beyond this, not accounted for in the energy and CO2 savings estimates are the longer lifespan of LEDs. There are many pollutants created by producing, shipping and disposing of lighting products. By lasting 2-5x longer than conventional lighting, many of these pollutants are avoided. Even betters, LEDs don’t include heavy metals like mercury, making them more environmentally friendly at end-of-life.

We are proud to be part of an industry that is saving hundreds of millions of tons of CO2 from entering our atmosphere. We have a long way to go as a planet, but it is a great feeling to know that the path for our industry is Win-Win, saving energy and getting better light.

Weber Greenhouse installed supplemental LED lighting from Thrive Agritech to optimize basil production, especially in the low light periods of the year typical of upstate new york. The energy efficient full spectrum white lighting not only increases plant growth but also improves canopy consistency and plant morphology.

Increased basil sales result in a quick return on investment, especially considering the low operational costs of the Boost LED light bar. Installation was easy and economical, with each fixture connected end-to-end and mounted directly to the existing greenhouse truss system. Compared to other LED systems considered, ease of installation was a major benefit, especially considering each light row is operated and controlled with a single plug.

“Weber Greenhouse is a leader in advanced Controlled Environment Agriculture,” says Brian Bennett, CEO and Founder, Thrive Agritech. “We are thrilled to work with a company that represents the future of sustainable indoor plant production and support their efforts to achieve increased crop production while being environmentally sustainable.”

LED grow lighting has many advantages over high-pressure sodium, metal halide, and fluorescents – they use less energy, emit less heat, reduce water usage and have spectra that are optimized for plant growth.  Another great thing about LEDs is their reliability.  Instead of re-lamping every year, many LEDs have lifespans of 10 years or longer.  But as more growers transition to LED grow lighting, more questions and concerns arise.

For decades cannabis growers have been honing their grow “recipes” on their own and when the light technology “ingredient” changes so do the other variables like nutrient uptake, temperature, humidity requirements and so on.  Implementing LEDs into an already dialed in grow can be challenging so let’s look at the first step to make this a successful transition:

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We hear this question all the time, especially in the summer.

Our rule of thumb – it takes one watt of air conditioning to cool three watts of lighting.

For a more precise calculation, there are a few things that we need to know about heat

• A BTU, or British Thermal Unit, is the traditional unit for heat or heat removal
• A ton of refrigerant is 12,000 BTUs.
• One watt of energy is equal to 3.412 BTUs

When you turn on a light some of the energy is turned into photons and some of the energy is turned into heat. In the case of LEDs, about 40% of the energy is turned into light and 60% is turned into heat.

Unfortunately…. you need to cool all of the energy, even the energy emitted as light. (more…)

As everyone knows, LED technology is displacing older lighting technologies across almost all applications. Although LED has a higher upfront cost, energy savings combined with an extremely long product lifetime make LED a compelling choice. But what exactly does it mean when an LED lighting supplier claims a 50,000-hour product lifetime? And what data should the supplier have to support such a claim? (more…)

LED grow lights are frequently installed in locations of condensing humidity, or in facilities where water is used for cleaning. In addition, many of these facilities can be dirty or dusty. So, what happens to an LED lighting fixture when exposed to water and dust? The answer is revealed in the fixture’s IP code.

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