LED Lighting Systems for Horticulture: Business Growth and Global Distribution

Abstract

In recent years, research on light emitting diodes (LEDs) has highlighted their great potential as a lighting system for plant growth, development and metabolism control. The suitability of LED devices for plant cultivation has turned the technology into a main component in controlled or closed plant-growing environments, experiencing an extremely fast development of horticulture LED metrics. In this context, the present study aims to provide an insight into the current global horticulture LED industry and the present features and potentialities for LEDs’ applications. An updated review of this industry has been integrated through a database compilation of 301 manufacturers and 1473 LED lighting systems for plant growth. The research identifies Europe (40%) and North America (29%) as the main regions for production. Additionally, the current LED luminaires’ lifespans show 10 and 30% losses of light output after 45,000 and 60,000 working hours on average, respectively, while the vast majority of worldwide LED lighting systems present efficacy values ranging from 2 to 3 μmol J−1 (70%). Thus, an update on the status of the horticultural LED sector, LEDs’ applications and metrics, and the intense innovation are described and discussed.

Challenges and Opportunities of Light-Emitting Diode (LED) as Key to Modulate Antioxidant Compounds in Plants. A Review

“…Lighting manufacturers are adopting the metrics used in the horticulture sector. However, a recent review [ 192 ] showed that 30% of the LED lighting system producers included in the study still do not report the photosynthetic photon efficacy of lamps.…”

Features and Functions of Multifunctional Urban Agriculture in the Global North: A Review

“…Besides, the benefits associated with hydroponics and possible de-humidification and water recovery from the internal atmosphere allow for elevated water use efficiency (Pennisi et al, 2020a), in the range of 30-50-folds the measured values in greenhouses and open-field cultivation (Kozai, 2013). On the other hand, the elevated energetic requirements (mainly due to electricity consumption associated with artificial lighting, Paucek et al, 2020) are still hindering the large-scale applicability of these systems (Kozai, 2019). Indeed, while technology is rapidly evolving, strategies for reducing the environmental burdens associated with PFALs are also being identified (Son et al, 2016;Pennisi et al, 2019cPennisi et al, , 2020cOrsini et al, 2020) and will likely foster the large-scale application of these technologies in the near future.…”

Applications and Development of LEDs as Supplementary Lighting for Tomato at Different Latitudes

“…The low price of LEDs and the interest of the growers in investing in this technology has induced several companies to produce LED lighting systems for agriculture. The horticultural LED lighting market is promising and is expected to grow from USD 576 million in 2016 to USD 5.11 billion by 2022 [67]. In fact, in recent years, owners of high-latitude greenhouses have shown interest in replacing HPS lamps with more efficient LED modules, while owners of mid-latitude, e.g., Mediterranean, greenhouses are interested in installing SL.…”

“…In fact, in recent years, owners of high-latitude greenhouses have shown interest in replacing HPS lamps with more efficient LED modules, while owners of mid-latitude, e.g., Mediterranean, greenhouses are interested in installing SL. Growers were encouraged by the positive effects of SL on horticulture crops obtained by researchers at Bari University [32,35,67,68]. High-latitude greenhouses tend only to replace their HPS lamps with LEDs, whereas new greenhouses or those installing artificial light for the first time have to design all the electrical components necessary for LED function (electrical cables, switch panels, hooks, software, etc.).…”

“…Those who replace HPS lamps, therefore, generally keep their overhead point source light system (few LED modules per square meter but with high PPF), saving on installation time and changes in other electrical components, whereas those who install LED SL for the first time choose overheaddistributed source lighting or overhead-distributed plus intracanopy lighting to obtain even distribution of SL within the canopy. A word is necessary about the variety of SL, because there are various types of LED module [67]. LEDs, therefore, have big advantages over other types of artificial illumination in agriculture, including higher efficiency (light per energy consumed, quantum efficiency), longer lifespan, controllable emission spectrum, safer handling, and safer disposal [5,69].…”