A Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering consortium (GLASE) has been established to transform the way greenhouses operate in order to reduce electricity use by 70 percent.
The public-private consortium has been established by researchers and engineers at Cornell University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), both in upper New York state.
The seven-year project is being funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Plant physiology expert Tessa Pocock, who serves as a senior research scientist at the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications (LESA) will lead the work at Rensselaer.
“The engineered LED lighting and sensing systems with advanced feedback control are being pioneered at LESA,” she explained.
“Integrated with Cornell’s advanced greenhouse management technologies, GLASE has the potential to create a more sustainable and profitable greenhouse industry. The systems engineering expertise at LESA and the agriculture expertise at Cornell make this an ideal partnership.”
The aim is to demonstrate a holistic greenhouse energy management system that integrates control of LED lighting, carbon dioxide supplementation, ventilation, and humidity. It is hoped that this will make indoors food production more efficient, and allow the implementation of agriculture in places where it was not possible before.
Greenhouses extend the growing season and protect crops and other plants from harsh weather conditions.
Several technologies will contribute to the vision. Among this is reactive lighting, made possible with LED technologies, which allow growers to provide optimal lighting even as conditions change throughout the day. The engineers will determine precise LED light conditions needed by tomatoes and lettuce as model plants, and study how tomato and strawberry growth responds to carbon dioxide supplementation.
Already, more than 30 potential participants have expressed interest in joining the consortium, including growers, lighting and fixture manufacturers, trade groups, supermarket produce buyers, horticultural suppliers, and research organisations. The consortium is structured so it will become self-sustaining within seven years.
[Greenhouse photo: Pixabay]