“In the world of horticulture, every investment must deliver exceptional value. We know that one of the most critical inputs to Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) environment is lighting. By now, it’s well understood by most in the industry that LED lighting is the lighting technology of today and the future. The reasons are many—superior efficacy leading to significant energy savings, higher outputs, ease of control and dimming, and the ability to combine different types of LEDs to create the optimal spectrum for specific applications, just to name a few,” states the Acuity Brands team.
The decision to incorporate LED lighting into your operations opens up a new series of questions, namely: What lights should you buy? A quick glance across the web will reveal endless options, complete with amazing claims and glossy marketing. There are key factors in choosing a lighting partner such as company stability, track record, trustworthiness, product quality and reliability, efficacy, product features, controls, etc.
According to Acuity Brands, all those considerations should be a part of the decision-making process. “However, we like to offer an additional attribute that will become a larger part of the purchasing mindset—To what extent does your lighting decision enable future technology that can improve other parts of your business? By choosing the right lighting option, growers can unlock additional functionalities that improve various aspects of their operations.”
Labor and asset management
At Acuity Brands they find that the future of indoor and greenhouse lighting extends beyond just providing light. “Lighting infrastructure, already ubiquitous in growing environments, offers the perfect platform for additional layers of technology.” In their view, leveraging this infrastructure can open the door to advanced technologies that enhance operational efficiency, sustainability, and resource management, especially when it comes to labor and asset management.
By integrating wireless sensors and connectivity into lighting fixtures, they explain, growers can create a network that monitors workforce and equipment movement throughout the facility. “This capability offers several benefits. Firstly, real-time data on worker locations allows managers to identify inefficiencies and deploy staff more effectively, resulting in optimized labor allocation. Additionally, tracking mobile assets ensures optimal use and timely maintenance, reducing downtime, enhancing equipment utilization. Moreover, workflow analysis can be improved as movement patterns can reveal opportunities to streamline processes and boost overall efficiency. Furthermore, it allows for energy utilization dashboards with fixture health and status alerts.”
Despite the clear advantages, the Acuity Brands team finds that smart lighting adoption also comes with challenges. “For instance, smart lighting systems require a higher upfront cost than traditional lighting. And with multiple providers offering smart lighting solutions, growers must carefully evaluate which system best fits their specific needs and long-term goals. Similarly, the wealth of data these systems provide can be overwhelming without proper analysis tools. Also, there is a high degree of integration complexity: ensuring compatibility with existing greenhouse management software can be complex, and growers need to make these transitions are smooth by using a unified open platform. Last but not least, labor tracking features may raise privacy issues that need to be carefully addressed.
Addressing evolving needs
To address these evolving needs in horticulture, Acuity Brands has developed the Atrius® platform. The company states that combined with their Verjure and Arize lighting fixtures, the platform offers wireless fixture control to among others support dimming, grouping, and scheduling. As well as asset and labor tracking, BACnet compatibility (a standardized communication protocol for building automation), Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions tracking and reporting (indirect emissions from purchased energy and other indirect emissions in a company’s value chain) supporting frameworks like the GHG Protocol, EPA, and IPCC. Further, it also provides Open SDK (Software Development Kit) for customization and future scalability with IoT sensors, cloud platforms, and data analytic software, and remote system updates.
Looking ahead
Besides their efforts to meet current needs, Acuity Brands is also looking ahead. “As the horticulture industry continues to evolve, the role of lighting in greenhouse operations will only grow in importance. Forward-thinking growers are already exploring how to leverage their lighting infrastructure to drive efficiency, sustainability, and data-driven decision-making. The potential applications are vast, from predictive maintenance and crop quality monitoring to integration with artificial intelligence and machine learning. By viewing lighting as more than just illumination, operators can unlock new avenues for optimization and innovation. As the industry evolves, it’s crucial for growers to stay informed about these technological advancements and consider how they might benefit their operations. “
For more information:
Acuity Brands
www.acuitybrands.com
I need to add a section of “How it will Help?” so first write question(How it will Help) as heading and then write about how this article help:
“In the world of horticulture, every investment must deliver exceptional value. We know that one of the most critical inputs to Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) environment is lighting. By now, it’s well understood by most in the industry that LED lighting is the lighting technology of today and the future. The reasons are many—superior efficacy leading to significant energy savings, higher outputs, ease of control and dimming, and the ability to combine different types of LEDs to create the optimal spectrum for specific applications, just to name a few,” states the Acuity Brands team.
The decision to incorporate LED lighting into your operations opens up a new series of questions, namely: What lights should you buy? A quick glance across the web will reveal endless options, complete with amazing claims and glossy marketing. There are key factors in choosing a lighting partner such as company stability, track record, trustworthiness, product quality and reliability, efficacy, product features, controls, etc.
According to Acuity Brands, all those considerations should be a part of the decision-making process. “However, we like to offer an additional attribute that will become a larger part of the purchasing mindset—To what extent does your lighting decision enable future technology that can improve other parts of your business? By choosing the right lighting option, growers can unlock additional functionalities that improve various aspects of their operations.”
Labor and asset management
At Acuity Brands they find that the future of indoor and greenhouse lighting extends beyond just providing light. “Lighting infrastructure, already ubiquitous in growing environments, offers the perfect platform for additional layers of technology.” In their view, leveraging this infrastructure can open the door to advanced technologies that enhance operational efficiency, sustainability, and resource management, especially when it comes to labor and asset management.
By integrating wireless sensors and connectivity into lighting fixtures, they explain, growers can create a network that monitors workforce and equipment movement throughout the facility. “This capability offers several benefits. Firstly, real-time data on worker locations allows managers to identify inefficiencies and deploy staff more effectively, resulting in optimized labor allocation. Additionally, tracking mobile assets ensures optimal use and timely maintenance, reducing downtime, enhancing equipment utilization. Moreover, workflow analysis can be improved as movement patterns can reveal opportunities to streamline processes and boost overall efficiency. Furthermore, it allows for energy utilization dashboards with fixture health and status alerts.”
Despite the clear advantages, the Acuity Brands team finds that smart lighting adoption also comes with challenges. “For instance, smart lighting systems require a higher upfront cost than traditional lighting. And with multiple providers offering smart lighting solutions, growers must carefully evaluate which system best fits their specific needs and long-term goals. Similarly, the wealth of data these systems provide can be overwhelming without proper analysis tools. Also, there is a high degree of integration complexity: ensuring compatibility with existing greenhouse management software can be complex, and growers need to make these transitions are smooth by using a unified open platform. Last but not least, labor tracking features may raise privacy issues that need to be carefully addressed.
Addressing evolving needs
To address these evolving needs in horticulture, Acuity Brands has developed the Atrius® platform. The company states that combined with their Verjure and Arize lighting fixtures, the platform offers wireless fixture control to among others support dimming, grouping, and scheduling. As well as asset and labor tracking, BACnet compatibility (a standardized communication protocol for building automation), Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions tracking and reporting (indirect emissions from purchased energy and other indirect emissions in a company’s value chain) supporting frameworks like the GHG Protocol, EPA, and IPCC. Further, it also provides Open SDK (Software Development Kit) for customization and future scalability with IoT sensors, cloud platforms, and data analytic software, and remote system updates.
Looking ahead
Besides their efforts to meet current needs, Acuity Brands is also looking ahead. “As the horticulture industry continues to evolve, the role of lighting in greenhouse operations will only grow in importance. Forward-thinking growers are already exploring how to leverage their lighting infrastructure to drive efficiency, sustainability, and data-driven decision-making. The potential applications are vast, from predictive maintenance and crop quality monitoring to integration with artificial intelligence and machine learning. By viewing lighting as more than just illumination, operators can unlock new avenues for optimization and innovation. As the industry evolves, it’s crucial for growers to stay informed about these technological advancements and consider how they might benefit their operations. “
For more information:
Acuity Brands
www.acuitybrands.com
, if content is not enough to understand user title of article: “Lighting is more than just illumination, operators can unlock new avenues for optimization and innovation” – Urban Ag News
