Saving greenhouse power with deep-red LED light
Monday, February 14, 2011 - 10:31
in Physics & Chemistry
The Siemens subsidiary Osram Opto Semiconductors has developed a powerful light-emitting diode (LED) for use in the cultivation of plants. It emits a deep-red light at a wavelength of 660 nanometers, which is perfect for plant photosynthesis. With an efficiency of 37 percent one of the highest for a light source of this color it also yields considerable energy savings compared to conventional lamps. In a pilot project in Denmark, which used around 50,000 LEDs to illuminate a cultivation area of several thousand square meters, power consumption in the greenhouse fell by 40 percent.