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• Energy savings
• Steering crop growth with led
• Optimize yields

Energy costs are a major factor in any indoor growing operation, with lighting, heating, and cooling accounting for the largest portion. In large-scale operations, limited grid power can restrict the potential of your facility if you aren’t using energy-efficient systems like LEDs. It’s not uncommon for power to be shut off by grid providers during peak times, which can directly impact your profitability.

Inefficient lighting systems, like HPS, generate excess heat due to radiation outside the PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) range. This leads to two problems for growers: increased lighting costs and higher cooling expenses (or lower heating efficiency, as the lamps are not effective heat sources). HPS fixtures emit significant heat in the form of infrared radiation, which reduces their overall efficiency. In comparison, LED fixtures can achieve an efficiency of 3.0 µmols/joule, while HPS systems only reach 1.7 µmols/joule. Switching 100 HPS lamps in a one-quarter hectare, single-layer indoor farm to LEDs can save approximately £39,600 in electrical costs over 6,000 hours (one year), assuming an energy cost of 14p/kW·h.

Regardless of seasonality, growers need a larger HVAC system to compensate for the additional heat load generated by HPS during the warmer months. Remember, as one environmental factor/input changes in your farm, other environmental factors, such as temperature, relative humidity, air flow, and CO2 also change, requiring proactive adjustment. For example, the infrared radiation of HPS fixtures can increase canopy temperature by 2°C ¹. When retrofitting HPS with LED, the HVAC system may be used to more efficiently make up that temperature difference.

Ultimately, growers want to optimize yield relative to their inputs. For cannabis growers, this means producing the highest amount of quality flowers with the right amounts of cannabinoids, terpenes, and other phytochemicals. LED fixtures are a path to maximizing your lighting investment and pushing crop production to the next level.

To maximize yields, growers need to focus on achieving strong, robust plant growth, which is driven by biomass production. A higher biomass provides the plant with more resources and a solid foundation for greater yields at harvest. Light intensity and daily light integral (DLI) are critical factors in promoting biomass growth. Cannabis, being a high-light species, can utilize up to 2,000 µmol m-2 s-1 of light, though most growers typically use levels between 500 and 1,000 µmol m-2 s-1. LEDs are highly adaptable compared to HPS systems, as they allow for easy dimming and light intensity adjustments to meet the plant’s needs.

Another key factor is light spectrum, particularly blue and red wavelengths, which drive photosynthesis and boost biomass accumulation. These wavelengths are especially important during the propagation and vegetative stages, where the goal is to maximize foliage growth and expand the plant’s photosynthetic capacity. At this stage, less focus is placed on secondary metabolite production, as the primary aim is to increase plant size.

Once the plants reach their desired size during the vegetative phase, they transition to the reproductive or flowering stage. Proper lighting management is crucial in this shift, with a reduction in photoperiod to 12 hours triggering the plant’s transition to flowering. As harvest approaches, both photoperiod and light intensity can be increased to boost DLI, which in turn enhances the production of secondary metabolites like cannabinoids and terpenes.

Cannabinoids are a key indicator of quality. Higher cannabinoid content in flower trichomes (plant hairs rich in phytochemicals) leads to a higher market selling price for the grower. Depending on the strain and intended market, the cannabinoid profile can be notably different. Some of the target cannabinoids are THC, CBD, CBG, CBC, CBN, CBGM, and THCV. As mentioned earlier, increased light intensity can increase cannabinoid content. 

Aside from this, light spectrum can play a large role in cannabinoid profile. By triggering photoreceptors with special wavelengths of blue, green (better known as ‘white’ in horticulture parlance), and red, a grower can increase the amount of cannabinoids by using the right ratio of these spectrums. Adding green or white to the typical red and blue LED spectrum can increase cannabinoid content. There is a limit to the benefit of green, though. Levels of green above 50% can penalize the grower on yields and electrical efficiency. 

Terpene flower content is much lower when compared to flower cannabinoid content but plays a large role in flower quality. Terpenes are a diverse group of aromatic compounds found within the flower trichomes. There are hundreds of terpenes and each have their own distinct aroma. Their inclusion complements the cannabinoid profile, both therapeutically and on the sensory side. Medically, these compounds are used for stress relief and have anti-microbial properties. A few of the commonly noted terpenes are Myrcene, Terpinolene, Limonene, Pinene, Caryophyllene, and Linalool. 

Light is one environmental factor that can increase the amount of Terpenes. There are two ways of improving terpene profile through lighting: increasing light intensity and optimizing light quality. Simply by increasing light intensity during flowering, the grower can increase synthesis of terpene precursors that lead to increased terpene content. We recommend increasing intensity right before harvest. Light quality can also improve the terpene profile. By adding a white light component to your spectrum, terpene content can be increased when compared to just using blue and red light².

The scientific world and grower community alike are learning more and more every day about the role spectrum optimization plays in improving cannabis production. Growing under LEDs is a path to increased yields, quality, and market value of your crop. Current is excited to help growers navigate the LED revolution, optimize production and drive costs down with LED-lit operations.

Do not hesitate to ask your questions to our specialist using the form. We will respond to your questions as soon as possible.

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