“Greenhouse Growers Switching to LED Lighting for Survival”

Greenhouse horticulturists have made much more use of LED lighting in their greenhouses in recent years. Due to the high energy prices, the switch is necessary for some horticulturists in order to survive.

According to Glastuinbouw Nederland, greenhouse growers have been switching to LED lighting for years. But development accelerated due to last year’s energy crisis.

Because of this LED lighting, the greenhouses of greenhouse growers now often produce bright pink or other colours.

Previously, horticulturists mainly used what appeared to be yellowish or white light. Those lamps gave off a lot of heat. But because those lamps use a lot of energy, many growers have switched to LED lighting. “Heating of the crops must then be done via a separate heating system,” says flower grower Rick Tesselaar from Luttelgeest in Flevoland.

It differs per variety as to which color is good for the crop. “That requires quite a lot of precision,” says Tesselaar Broadcasting Flevoland. “Which color you need depends on the plant. So you can’t just switch.”

View the pink LED lighting of his greenhouse here:

Bright pink lighting has been visible from Tesselaar’s greenhouse for some time now. He replaced half of his lamps with LED lighting in the fall. Before that, research had been done for three years into the best color for its Alstroemeria flowers. In other places, too, research is being carried out into which color has a good influence on which crop.

The measure saved him half of his energy, but it was still an exciting time. “In the end, the energy was still five times as expensive. So it was difficult. But we made it through the winter despite all the dangers we faced last winter.”