Jan 12 2017
Light emitting diode (LED) lighting from agri-technology company Agrivolution LLC has been selected for integration into a patented aeroponic vertical farming system developed by Indoor Farms of America, LLC after Agrivolution won a year-long performance review against other LED products that provide artificial light for agricultural uses.
The new relationship brings together Indoor Farms of America, a U.S. market leader in affordable, economically viable, high-yield vertical aeroponic crop growing equipment that can grow pesticide-free local fruits and vegetables year round, and Agrivolution that supplies advanced horticultural LEDs that are popular in Asia and elsewhere around the globe.
The announcement comes as Las Vegas, NV-based Indoor Farms of America has steadily increased its market share as the company expands across North America and into key markets globally.
"Indoor Farms of America tested the Agrivolution ultra-thin and lightweight bar type Triple-Band LED against a dozen competing products for over a year and determined its superior performance to grow plants indoors," said Agrivolution President Richard Fu. "Based on the trial results, Indoor Farms of America decided on Agrivolution as its standard LED equipment provider for leafy greens and other select crops."
The global vertical farming industry is forecasted to grow to $6.81 Billion by 2022 according to a report issued by international research group Research and Markets called "Global Vertical Farming Market Analysis & Forecast, 2016-2022." Agrivolution expects to supply approximately 10,000 units of the Triple-Band LEDs across North America in 2017.
"We are very happy with the steady performance of the Triple-Band LED bars from Agrivolution," states David Martin, CEO of Indoor Farms of America. "We have grown about 20 different leafy green products, as well as flowering and fruiting plants, and they (Agrivolution LEDs) do a great job in helping us reach our targeted harvest times for what we grow."
Indoor Farms of America will integrate the Agrivolution LEDs into its enhanced aeroponics system to grow larger plants such as heirloom tomatoes, squash, and cucumber. The company has already been successful testing its growing techniques that produce a variety of leafy green products, as well as cherry tomatoes, chili peppers, and strawberries.
Aeroponics is a technique that mists nutrient solutions and supplies ample oxygen to plant and vegetable roots directly. It promotes root growth which reduces root rot and results in healthier plants. Artificial light from LEDs enables plants, vegetables and fruits to photosynthesize ― the process by which plants use ― to convert energy of light into chemical energy as its fuel.
Agrivolution’s UL certified Triple-Band LED being used by Indoor Farms of America is based on a patented single-chip design that emits RED-, BLUE-, and GREEN-bands that covers full Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) between 400 nm and 700 nm. Because of the unique single-chip architecture, the Agrivolution LEDs are able to output a balanced full-spectrum light while reducing energy usage.
Interest in horticultural LED lighting and weather agnostic indoor plant factories that can support steady food production in North America has been on the rise year after year as traditional growers struggle with unpredictable weather patterns in recent years and the extreme, long-term drought in agricultural rich California as well as drought conditions in various parts of the nation including the Northeast.
A separate research report issued last year forecasts the LED grow light module market currently at $395 million in 2014 to reach $1.8 billion by 2021 according to LED Agricultural Grow Lights: Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2015 to 2021 by WinterGreen Research.
South Windsor, Connecticut-based Agrivolution is developing innovative products for the indoor vertical farming industry that support sustainable farming solutions.
Agrivolution is a multiple winner of the State of Connecticut's CT Innovation Summit "Tech Companies to Watch."