With GreenPower LED toplighting Philips has introduced a new LED solution for greenhouse horticulture. This LED solution can either completely replace conventional lighting systems or be used as an energy-efficient supplement. A major advantage of LEDs is that owing to the minimal amount of heat generated they can be used in greenhouses where it used to be impossible to install lighting. Owing to the low amount of heat emitted there is a greater degree of control over the climate in the greenhouse. In addition, the reduced energy consumption compared to, say, HPS lighting means that more light can be obtained for the same energy situation.

A further important option is that there is a choice of five different spectral versions of LED toplighting. Based on the knowledge acquired from trials, the account managers and plant specialists at Philips can provide assistance to growers in choosing the desired type as part of the overall light recipe. 

Good results with many crops
Pot rose grower Leo van der Harg recently installed a combination of Philips LED toplighting and HPS for the flowering stage over an area of 7000 m2. The light recipe (spectrum, light level, heat management of the two light sources) gives him a flexible installation that produces beautiful, compact, colorful, high-quality pot roses, and all this without any change to his previous energy situation. 

With other crops too, such as tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, Phalaenopsis and gerberas, advantages were clearly revealed. In the case of lettuce there is noticeably less tipburn in evidence and red lettuce varieties color significantly better under LEDs compared to HPS lighting. In the case of tomatoes a good winter crop can be grown in lower greenhouses and with Phalaenopsis the advantages can be found in enhanced photosynthetic efficiency at plant level, which in turn has a positive effect on growth and quality.

Light recipe for any crop

Partly thanks to LED toplighting and as a result of collaboration in LED lighting between horticulturists, Philips Horticulture, Wageningen University & Research Center and the Philips LED Horti Partners, the efficiency of the overall business operations can now be improved for virtually any crop by using a specific light recipe: lower energy consumption, enhanced plant quality and better control of processes.
Whether Philips will actually win the GreenTech Innovation Award with this GreenPower LED toplighting solution we will have to wait and see: the winners will be announced on the first day of the trade fair, 10 June..