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FloralDaily: More light with a smaller fixture
The development of LED lighting for greenhouse horticulture is constantly developing. The Dutch Powerhouse Monarch from Oreon was introduced exactly one year ago at Fruit Logistica in Berlin with a light output of 3100 µmol/s.
Sales Director Jan Mol: “More than 12 years ago we were the first to provide a commercial greenhouse project with water cooled LED lights. Last year, we launched the first 1000W LED fixture. Thanks to the water-cooling technology, we can not only get an high light output, but we also guarantee a consistent light output over a longer period of time. Our LED fixtures have a long lifespan: L90 B05 - 50,000 hours, which means that a water cooled LED fixture can retain more than 90% of its light output in at least 95% of the fixtures after 50,000 hours.”
Custom-made
“Every greenhouse, every grower, every cultivation strategy and light requirement is different. In addition, the crop, grow area and height of the greenhouse influence the number of fixtures and thus the investment. You cannot make one standard lighting plan, everything is custom made. That is why we can now offer 3 variants of the Monarch,” says Jan Mol.
For crops that require high light intensities, such as roses and cannabis, the new high efficiency variant with 3700 µmol/s is suitable. It has a narrow beam radiation of 120° and can therefore also be used in high-tech greenhouses, for lettuce as example. Thanks to the high light output, fewer fixtures are needed and due to the very high efficiency, significant savings can be made on energy costs.
Narrow beam
No two situations are the same. That is why there is now also a narrow beam version with a lower output (3471 µmol/s) and efficiency (3.4 µmol/J). The grower can decide whether he is going for a lower one-off investment or a saving in energy costs in the longer term.
The Monarch with wide beam optics (3506 µmol/s and 3.5 µmol/J) is suitable for the illumination of high wire crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers. The crop grows closer to the top of the greenhouse and therefore a wide radiation (140°) is desired in order to evenly illuminate the largest surface as possible. This Monarch is also a good option for traditional lower greenhouses. Since it is a 1000W LED fixture, traditional HPS lighting can be replaced one-on-one (using the same cabling).
