UV LEDs boost the benefits of horticultural lighting

Horticultural lighting based on LED technology is bolstering the solid-state lighting (SSL) market due to its ability to maximize crop yields, whether the light is produced in the visible or ultraviolet (UV) spectrum. Analyst firm Strategies Unlimited has forecasted that the horticultural lighting market will grow more than 180% in the next five years, with LEDs comprising the majority of this growth. In a webcast held earlier this year, our speakers drove home once again the point that leveraging SSL in growing operations is simply good business sense: LED-based horticultural lighting delivers cost and energy savings, as we know; is manufactured with less-toxic components than other light sources; and operates with longer lifetimes. But beyond the cost and environmental values, other unique properties have come to light.