Why do Vertical Farms need a Controlled Lighting Environment?
As the world’s population increases, we are collectively seeking environmentally friendly solutions to grow and source food; vertical farms have become an increasingly popular way of solving this challenge. In these environments, there is a strong reliance on artificial light as natural light is often completely absent; this is why precise control of wavelengths are important.
Grow lights are one of the most important elements in a vertical farm; however, having constant static light throughout the day and then manually switching them off at night will not provide optimal growing conditions. But, in this fragmented market, unfortunately, this is still common practice.
A plant-friendly spectrum (approximately 400–700 nanometres) encourages crops to grow faster and produce higher yields. Having the ability to customise the light spectrum is important for optimisation, as different crops require different conditions to thrive. Adjusting the wavelengths and light algorithms can increase biomass production, enhancing flavour and quality.
The ability to control the lighting also empowers the grower to manage how much heat is emitted from the lights. But, controlled environment agriculture (CEA) covers much more than just lighting; there is a precise recipe of factors that lead to quality growth; these include temperature, carbon dioxide, oxygen, lighting, humidity, nutrient concentration, pH, pest control and irrigation.
Smart technology helps to ensure sensors are effective and data is collected and sent to a central source, facilitating control and monitoring. CEA can also use advanced imaging through smart cameras and thermal imaging, which allows plant growth to be monitored. AI and ML can then learn from this information, perfecting conditions automatically, streamlining the efficiency of farms.
However, again, many vertical farms struggle with the connectivity and interoperability of data between these different devices and systems. Many companies are selling hardware into this industry, and often they are proprietary, meaning their hardware only works with their software. This creates lots of data silos and expensive, time-consuming management and maintenance. It is assumed interoperability is extremely expensive and therefore unattainable for many farms. But, at amBX, we are working with indoor farming companies to solve these issues for them cost-effectively. Our integration software, SmartCore, acts as a middleware layer that connects all aspects of a farm and aggregates data into a custom UI (which can be built by us), into a customer’s own UI, or it can be sent to the cloud/third-party system. Our open architecture allows us to be flexible and meet the needs of the end customer.
UV lighting is another lighting system which is sometimes used in vertical farms. Sterilisation is important as no pesticides or chemicals are used in vertical farming. UV-C is a chemical-free way of efficiently destroying microorganisms to maximise the yield before any bacteria take hold.
Often UV lighting will be another separate system in addition to the grow lighting system; there may also be emergency lighting and standard lighting systems. At amBX, we offer the ability to merge all of these systems into one to simplify control and dramatically reduce costs.
Not only do we empower growers and end customers; we also work with lighting OEMs and software platforms. We add value through extra functionality, improved connectivity and supporting their technical roadmap to ensure they reach their full potential.