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Review Of 225 LED Grow Light Panels – Are They Worth It?
Sustainable Urban Farming – Going Vertical With LED Grow Lights By Mathew On November 24, 2014 · Add Comment
I sincerely dislike cities. They are lifeless, soul-sucking monuments to human arrogance that distances ourselves from nature. How 60% or more of Earth’s population can stand living in a city, I may never know but I can tell you that my roots lie in more pastoral settings. You may wonder how I would consider a city such as New York with its 8 million inhabitants lifeless and it comes down to my assertion that life cannot be fostered with concrete and steel – or at least that has been my position for years. Perhaps vertical farming could change my mindset. We can and should do better at feeding the Earth’s population but it is tough to do when you understand the problems a large scale farm faces from water supply, toxic runoff from fertilizers and pesticides, and transportation issues. On top of that, thousands of acres of farmland are lost daily due to development or potentially absurd acts of Congress (HR 2454) which gives farm owners incentive to turn arable farmland into forest in the name of carbon sequestration. open in browser PRO version
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Reforesting thousands of acres of farmland may look good on paper but really just swaps one problem for another. This idea is almost as nutty as growing corn to fuel our cars (apropos ethanol) while millions go hungry. Imagine yourself as one of the throng of starving people around the globe, looking in on America while we burn our glut of food as fuel. Its the kind of thing that would not foster warm-fuzzy feelings from those afflicted. In an attempt to reconnect ourselves with nature and provide fresh, locally grown produce for an increasingly urban population, urban vertical farms present us with a rare opportunity to use our God-given talents to solve a problem intelligently. The answer to these problems may lie in vertical farming. Vertical farming, especially in urban centers, would allow for the sustainable production of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for the local population. All farming would take place indoors using a very controlled environment to create optimum growing conditions to ensure the highest yield per acre of grow space. By growing hydroponically, you could reduce water consumption by 75-90% while keeping harmful chemicals out of the public water supply, the environment, and off our food. The idea is simple enough – create a multi-story high rise in which each level can be dedicated to growing a particular plant . . . such as tomatoes, strawberries, lettuce, cucumbers, and more. What you can grow is limited only by economic feasibility – just like any other traditional farm. One of the biggest hurdles right now is coming up with an appropriate design that can match form with function. The most important function a usable design can offer is exposure to plant-growing sunlight. Without a viable light source, there is no farming. Until now, there has been no economically viable means to grow plants indoors using 100% artificial lighting, but that is changing because of LED Grow Lights. Depending on the design of the structure, LEDs can be used as the primary source of lighting or just to supplement natural lighting. As the cost of LEDs drops, interest in the technology is increasing. Earlier this year, McGill University in Canada partnered with GE and the Canadian government on a $1.3 Million project to develop LED Grow Lighting for commercial greenhouses. The goal is to reduce business operating costs while increasing crop yield, something that is completely feasible with LEDs. With food prices rising and likely to remain unstable for years and increasing population, the pressure to feed people could mean further deforestation if traditional farming methods are pursued. Using LED Grow Lights in a commercial setting can reduce costs as they open in browser PRO version
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require only about 35-50% of the operating power of CFL or HID lighting. In addition, crop loss due to excessive heat is no longer an issue as LED lights run warm to the touch. This also means that cooling costs will be greatly reduced or eliminated depending on your climate. In addition, by growing indoors using hydroponics, you can reduce water consumption by as much as 90% over traditional farming in open fields or in greenhouses. US based company TruLite LED has developed commercial and greenhouse LED Grow Lights to help large operations increase their profit by reducing costs and boosting yield. Whether using LED Grow Lights as supplemental lighting in greenhouses or as the only light source in indoor gardening installations, TruLite’s products work with a range of plants from herbs & lettuce to fruits & veggies, and even cannabis. If you are looking for information about lighting for your greenhouse project, please do not hesitate to contact us. I am always happy to consult with new people to help their venture get off the ground or to assist in retrofitting an existing operation with LED Grow Lights. TAGGED WITH →
Commercial Greenhouse • Controlled Environment Agriculture • Urban Farming • Vertical Farming
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