IS AER SES LTE SL DERE OTE OS HT EAE EO & st2a795020 © Monto. 899500 cena Shop Nowa ute Dect — Now wih by baring! Sieciemeg PRODUCTS APPLICATIONS SERVICES BUY RESOURCES. CONTACT ABOUT NEWS BLOG sunnci 16 2016 Posted in-lumiex Arties Wteny Rebecca Knight PhD ‘SEARCH OUR SITE Modeling the Complexities of caveacouunr Horticulture Lighting | White Paper search overview crucial aspect in designing Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) systems is in understanding the lighting component, Accurately modeling the lighting requirements allows growers the ability to calculate cost of ownership, return on investment, and, Al tlumitex Blog, better understand how light ang light equipment tie into profit and loss ofthe final product - salable biomass. CATEGORIES Horticulture LED Ina previous blog post, Iltumitex mentioned the complexities of Mumicex on (he Road ‘modeling CEA systems. In this report, the madel is braken down mt ——IS AER SES LTE mt Into two component parts which are the major energy conversions Inhorticulture lighting. These conversions are electricity to photon (light fixture) and photon to biomass (salable crop production). In future papers, these individual systems will be examined in closer detail, allowing the grower the capability to compare lighting options from either 2 birds-eye-view, or down to the details of complex “system interactions, Table of Contents. A.ineraduction 2. Electricity (Watt) to Light Energy (Photon) Conversion 3. Light Energy (Photon) so Plant (Biomass) Conversion 4. Summary 5.References 1. Introduction Lighting for horticulture applications has increased in both sophistication and efficiency aver the years. This has been due toa better understanding af the interaction af photons and plants as ‘well as innovations in lighting technology and design. Stil, there is, much confusion and debate in regards ta the best lighting option for SL DERE OTE OS HT EAE EO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED Email Subscription Your email here RECENT POSTS Experts from llumitex to Speak at UA-CEAC Workshop. ‘Modeling the Complexities of Horticulture Lighting | White Paper Modeling the Unknown - Why Light Calculations are So Hard llumitex to Educate in UA-CEAC Workshop Hlumitex Competes in Tech ‘Madness ATX Startup ——IS AER SES LTE SL DERE OTE OS HT EAE EO leach situation. This paper takes a look at the major components Tournament and factors involved regarding the relationship between lighting and plants, The goal is to have a dynamic model that can accoune for different applications, different environments, and different avalable inputs which will allow che system designer and grower to predict future outcomes and cost based on unit operations and parameter inputs, Figure 1 shows the two major energy conversions: ty to photons and Inhorticulture lighting, the conversion of electri the conversion of photons to biomass. ttumnare) [oc | spedeodenendent) [Sr 2. Electricity (Watt) to Light Energy (Photon) Conversion ‘The first energy conversion shown in Figure 1 occurs within the light _ ——IS AER SES LTE SL DERE OTE OS HT EAE EO m1 fixture where the energy is converted from electricity to photons and heat. The term luminaire is carried over frorn the nan-horticulture lighting industry, and refers to light fixture. Energy input Each ficure draws in a certain amount of energy as watts. In ‘modeling the grow system this should be the actual measured input, not what the lighting manufacturer lists, as there can be significant varlance due to environmental conditions. The output is photons over time in PPF (mols), and should be measured over the range of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), which is typically 400-700 rim, The conversion from watts to photon energy is not 100% efficient, and depending on the fixture type and components, much of the energy is converted to wasted heat. One simple ratio used to compare fixtures isthe PPF out divided by the watts in. Since watts are equivalent to joules/second (this ratio becomes (ymol/s)/ Wis)= pmol), Heat Woste Alllight fvtures give off waste heat, some more than others. It should be noted that several indoor growing facilites rely on this heat for heating the environment. This is not encouraged, as there ——IS AER SES LTE SL DERE OTE OS HT EAE EO are many more efficient means to heat and cool arom, Fixtures ‘that produce significant heat require more HVAC cooling and heating to counteract the lights turning on and off throughout the day. Photon Waste ‘The photon waste stream in Figure 1 includes photons that are lost either because (1) they are the wrong wavelength, (2) they are not directed to the plant canopy, or (3) they are lost or diluted over area because of the distance between the light fhture and the plant canopy. © (1) Different types of lamps (bulbs) and LEDs emit different, ‘wavelength spectrums of light. The number, quality, and periad of photon emissions which are useful to the plants depend greatly ‘on the types of plants themselves and what stage of development they are in, © (2) Photons are wasted if they hit places that are not part of the plant canopy. This occurs where light hits the walls, walkways, and spaces in-between the plant canopy. High Intensity Discharge (HID) fixtures use reflectors to best reflect light emitted from the ‘top of the bulb down tothe plant canopy, LED manufacturers often use LED optics, which are small micro-sized structures placed over the chips, which direct the light generated from the _ ——IS AER SES LTE SL DERE OTE OS HT EAE EO m1 LED towards the canopy. The types and number of reflectors and ‘optical layers contribute towards reduction in the amount of photons that are emitted. Growers sometimes use reflective surfaces to allow photons to reflect off of walls back towards the canopy. IF possible i Is more efficient to direct the light cowards the canopy at the fiture level because this is where the light density is the greatest and with each reflection there is significant loss in photon energy. (3) The air medium by which the light travels results ina diminishment of photons. The further the light fixture from the plant canopy, the more photons are lost from frequent scattering, which Is known as attenuation (2 much stronger factor in water than ale), Ths i different than the spreading of light over an area ‘as distance increases, The decrease in PPF over an area due to the light spreading as the distance increases is known as the inverse square law, For these reasons, the distance the lights are placed away from the canopy greatly determines how many photons, and the density of these photons, make it to the plants. 3. Light Energy (Photon) to Plant (Biomass) Conversion ——IS AER SES LTE SL DERE OTE OS HT EAE EO mt ‘The second energy conversion eccurs in the plants, Figure 2 shows ‘the inputs and outputs in an actual vertical grawing system. The lenergy conversion from photons to plant biomass is through the process of photosynthesis, Photoreceptors in the plants also react to photons of different wavelengths and these eliet physiological changes and responses that help to direct the development of the plant, tletcy tigre OF eneray conversion fnersy Product Matera Inputs ght Energy to ©} sicmars conversion Fer 2th eer omenio roceern hore hing eri et a2 lpttobiomes, Pot rom Bucy reah(208) with umes Ge? pre bar, ed with ‘The conversion from photon to chemical bond energy can be calculated by taking the ratio of chemical bond energy in the salable portion of the harvested plant to the photon energy recelved at the ——IS AER SES LTE SL DERE OTE OS HT EAE EO m1 plant canopy. In a study by Kozal eta. (2013), this is referred to as, the Light Use Efficiency (LUE) and was found to be 0.027 in a vertical _growing system. In this example, 2.7% of PAR energy is converted to chemical energy in the plant, The rest ofthe PAR energy either was hot the mast efficient wavelength for phatosynthes's, was nat able to be taken up by the plant, was lost by hitting a portion of the canopy without leaves, or the energy was metabolically consumed by the plant forall the reactions needed to stay alive. The salable portion of the plant wil difer significantly depending on the type of plant product being sold, Also, since some molecules are more energetically expensive to synthesize, the LUE could differ just based fon the nutritional or nutraceutical content ofthe salable biomass, ‘The portion ofthe biomass that is not salable is wasted biomass. Usually, the wasted biomass is also weighed, allowing the grower to know the fraction of salable to wasted biomass due to a certain set of parameters. In a controlled environment agricultural system, the ‘wasted biomass can be utlized for energy and/or recycling of nutrients, Moteril inputs “The ewo energy conversion steps of the model are also involved in complex interactions with other environmental conditions such as ——IS AER SES LTE SL DERE OTE OS HT EAE EO humidity, micro/macro-nutrient availabilty, pH, CO2, water, airflow, etc. The major material inputs for photosynthesis and the conversion of photons to chemical bonds are water, CO2, and rmicro/macro-nutrients. As light energy increases, more water and 02 are needed to keep up with photosynthesis, Without enough of ‘these inputs, the photons can became damaging to the plant cells ‘The amount af micra/macro-nutients Is also crucial for photosynthesis and proper cell function under different light conditions. Besides material inputs and their interactions with light, the environmental conditions play a large role in the way in which plants Utilize light. Additional heat coming off of HID lamps causes the canopy to rise in temperature, which then lowers humility, alters transpiration and C02 levels, and photosynthetic rates. When growers switch from HID to LED, this influences muktiple responses Inthe plant, which can be deleterious to productivity if not managed correctly, This complex interaction af parameters is why it helps to have trusted horticulture lighting manufacturers with growing experience and resources to assist the grower in this complicated transition Time component _ ——IS AER SES LTE SL DERE OTE OS HT EAE EO teen Finally, iis important not to model the energy conversions as & ‘static point in time. The light output of some some light fxtures and bulbs decreases over time and can shift n color. Also, plants require different ight amounts and quality over their grourh cycle. Other components, such as dust, can accumulate causing light output to decrease, For these reasons horticulture lighting systems that compare inputs and outputs for different fixtures and craps should carefully state time periods that are representative of what the ‘grower can expect to encounter. 4,Summary Understanding the interaction of inputs to outputs in the 2-step conversion of electricity to photons and photons to biomass can be challenging. The light fxtures can be compared to each other but the way In which the autput of diferent light atures theat and photons) affect plants over time can be quite complex. This paper outlines those complexities and serves as a starting paint for digging deeper into individual portions of the systems model. Ultimately, the decision for whieh light fitures ta use has to do with application. With accurate models, growers can consider all the Inputs and outputs, the interactions, and the timing forall parameters when making the decision for which horticulture light Is ——IS AER SES LTE SL DERE OTE OS HT EAE EO 1 rue right for ther. The next paper will consider an analysis of the “spectrums and calculation of useful photons emitted by different light focures. 5. References ‘= Hopkins, William G. and Norman P. A. Hiner. (2008) Introduction +o Plant Physiology. and ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, ‘Knight, Rebecca, “Modeling the Unknown - Why Light Calculations: are So Hard” hteps://ww.llumitex.com/modeling-the-unknown: why-light-caleulatlons-are-so-hard/ (Accessed 3/15/2016), * Kozal,T. (2013), "Resource use efficiency of closed plant production system with artificial light: Concept, estimation and application to plant factory.” Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B 89(10) 447-461 email print ‘Tags: cannabis, greenhouse lighting, grow light, HIO, horticulture lighting, indoor farming, LEDs, modeling, vertical farming, white paper ——IS AER SES LTE SL DERE OTE OS HT EAE EO RELATED POSTS Experts from tllumitex to IMlumitex Competes in Tech Speak at UA-CEAC Workshop Madness ATX Start-up Posted on: March 17,2016 Tournament Filed in tlumitex Articles Posted on: March, 2016 Filed in: tute Articles Increased Growth and Marketability of Two Lettuce Varieties Due to LED vs. Fluorescent Lighting | White Philo itermeas and Chloropyl Contant for Red ka LED ve. Fluorescent Lighting | White Paper Paper Posted on: March 7, 2016 Posted on: March 3, 2016 Filed in tlumitex Articles Filed in: tlumitex Articles LEAVE AREPLY —_— ——