• Home
  • Energy
  • Sustainability
  • Climate Change
    • Eco Editorial
  • Environment
    • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Pollution
      • Global Warming
      • Population Explosion
      • Renewable Energy
      • Species Extinction
      • Sustainable Management of Resources
    • Animals
    • Pollution
    • Environmental Policy
  • Green Technology
    • Green Tips
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Energy
  • Sustainability
  • Climate Change
    • Eco Editorial
  • Environment
    • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Pollution
      • Global Warming
      • Population Explosion
      • Renewable Energy
      • Species Extinction
      • Sustainable Management of Resources
    • Animals
    • Pollution
    • Environmental Policy
  • Green Technology
    • Green Tips
  • Contact Us
LED Lighting in Farms
September 3, 2018

andrej-lisakov

It’s no secret that LED lighting is a great lighting solution for almost all businesses – not to mention in the home. Financial savings and reduced carbon footprint can only be a good thing! One sector that can benefit hugely from industrial LED grow lights is farming. When it comes to nature, it pays to be green and it’s not only low energy and low bills that make LED an asset to farms – it’s also the amazing advantages for animals and plants.

You may not be aware, but LED lighting has been proven to increase productivity and wellbeing in us humans, and so is a popular choice for offices the world over. Unsurprisingly, this also works in the same way for animals, which in turn improves the running of farms and their produce.

Livestock

Let’s take chickens as an example. Chickens actually get very little vision from traditional incandescent bulbs. In their eyes they appear as a barcode with half of the information missing which causes the bird stress and ultimately, leads to bird-to-bird aggression. With LED lighting, the light is evenly distributed and is the closest alternative to natural light which keeps the chickens calm, happy and productive. With happier chickens, comes a higher quantity and quality of eggs that are proven to develop at a faster rate than under traditional light sources.

Horticulture

In the horticulture industry, the benefits of LED lighting are pretty spectacular, particularly in the business of growing fruit and vegetables. They can control the way in which plants grow which is has become invaluable to many farms. LEDs have been proven to stimulate plant growth by up to an amazing 40%, whilst being able to operate as normal in very hot or cold temperatures. They help to create a low-pressure, controlled environment where more can be produced with shorter grow cycles and in any climate necessary.

Arguably the most amazing benefit of LED lighting is that it can alter a way a plant grows. 90% of plant genes are regulated by light so by changing the spectrum, the taste, quality, aroma and nutritional value of fruit and vegetables can be changed and improved. This allows farmers to ensure that the taste of their produce is consistent throughout the year, making off-season fruit and vegetables a thing of the past. LED lighting also makes it possible to improve the strike rate of plant cuttings, bumping up the number of plants taken from the root from 20% to nearly 100%, making a hugely significant saving on labour and materials!

The numbers

Of course, one of the most attractive benefits of LED lighting is the financial savings, due to their high energy efficiency levels. INUI’s LED lighting calculator can really bring to light the benefits. Let’s say for example that a dairy farm is 10,000 square feet and contains 500 lights, all at 40 wattage. Based on a typical £0.1 kilowatt per hour, the existing electricity consumption stands at 368 kWh, leaving the running costs per year at £13,432.

By switching to LED lighting, the farm’s new electricity consumption, (based on a 50% reduction over the current lighting installation wattage required for farming use), would be 184 kWh, with running costs halved at a much lower £6,716 and with CO2 emissions savings left at 28,878.8 (based on a conversation factor of 0.43kgCO2/kWh).

The pressure on companies to reduce their carbon footprint is bigger than ever before. LED lighting is the perfect place to start taking those all-important steps to working in a more environmentally friendly way, all whilst reaping the many benefits.

Share

Energy

Katherine Smith

Leave a reply


Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • Recent Posts

    • The Environmental Impact Of Biomedical Waste And How To Reduce It
    • What Are the Most Eco-Friendly Types of Water Filters?
    • The Top 7 Eco-Friendly Kitchen Cabinet Picks For 2023
    • How To Sustain A Carbon-Neutral Lifestyle
    • Sustainable Fishing Methods to Fish More Responsibly
  • Categories

    • Animals
    • Climate Change
    • Eco Editorial
    • Energy
    • Environment
    • Environmental Policy
    • Green Food
    • Green Technology
    • Green Tips
    • Green Travel
    • Infographics
    • Other Stories
    • Pollution
    • Recycle
    • Sustainability
    • Toxics
    • Uncategorized
  • Archives

    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2011



Home | About | Advertise With Us | Bike The Netherlands | Current Environmental Issues | Eco Editorial | Contact