Project LAMP

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) helps meet the challenge of more intensive, profitable, and sustainable specialty crop production. For efficient year-round production in greenhouses, supplemental light is often beneficial, but the expenses can be high. The electricity required for supplemental lighting in greenhouses can account for up to 20-30% of variable costs. Plant factories, an emerging technology where plants are grown indoors, provide total control over environmental conditions, but production relies entirely on electric lighting. Electric lighting and air-conditioning combined can account for 50-60% of the variable costs in plant factories. Our goal is to help CEA growers reduce production costs, while giving them more control over crop growth and quality. More cost-effective lighting approaches will reduce energy use and increase profitability.