Rural Energy for America is a new program of the US Department of Agriculture. The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses, for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans [...]

  The DLC Controls Summit has announced panelists for the session, A Brighter Future for NLC Energy Savings Through External Systems Integration, which will be held on Wednesday, 9/27. The panelists will quantify the potential energy savings in two different regions, explore innovative efficiency programs to support NLC-HVAC integration, and consider the potential impacts of regulatory [...]

  The types of crops grown indoors are evolving as agricultural technology advances and the demand for local food increases across North America. Crops typically grown in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) facilities include: Leafy Greens: Lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula, and other salad greens are some of the most commonly grown crops in CEA facilities. Herbs: [...]

By Clifton Stanley Lemon How many designers does it take to change a lightbulb? Answer: Does it have to be a light bulb? While this old joke lampoons the legendary persnickety design thinking personified by Steve Jobs and others, the response is quite valid. Who in the lighting industry today is asking this question or [...]

  An area of growing research and practice is using lighting to help control agricultural pests. This can include horticultural lighting in indoor growing facilities (aka controlled environment agriculture or CEA) or nighttime treatment with specific wavelengths on outdoor crops. Greenhouse growers have long known that introducing supplemental grow lights to greenhouses can dramatically change [...]

I recently had the opportunity to sit down for an exclusive (not really) interview with the new know-it-all. Arguably, one of the smartest smarty-pants in the world, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, an AI chatbot knowledgeable on everything in the world, until 2021. My interview focused on how lighting technology will evolve in the near future. SHILLER: What [...]

There are increasing signs of rough times in the horticultural lighting industry, including cannabis, food, flowers, and other Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) crops. Some examples include: Osram suggesting that growers cannot currently afford the expenditure on LED lighting because rising energy prices are consuming their budgets. Read more here. Signify’s CEO is also seeing a slowing [...]

  Last week we launched the new LightNOW site with a refreshed design and new features, including: A Lighting Industry Event Calendar A Press Room – featuring lighting industry press releases and news A Careers page – for job postings A new, larger top-of-page advertising position In addition to these changes on the website, in [...]

On Wednesday, November 30, the DLC will release the final version of the horticultural lighting Technical Requirements V3.0 to support the acceleration of energy efficient lighting in controlled environment agriculture (CEA).