February 2021 - 19

CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE
CEA lighting control specialist
Scope of the study
national level.
company Candidus was awarded a
$683,562 conservation innovation
grant from the USDA's Natural
Resources Conservation Service.
In partnership with EnSave, the
University of Georgia and Michigan
State University Extension Service,
Candidus will:
* Demonstrate and quantify the
environmental and economic
benefits the adaptive lighting
control can provide to the
greenhouse industry at the
farm level, state level and
Part of the study is to examine the
economics and cost savings. Less light
means not only less light pollution, but
savings in energy costs - on its website,
Candidus estimates a 33% energy savings
or $20,000 per year per acre.
Mattos said a trial program with
access to the software and hardware for
three months runs about $2,500. A full
installation of the system costs several
thousands of dollars, depending on the
size of the greenhouse.
" The technology's very modular,
so we use off-the-shelf components, "
Mattos said. The software runs off small
* Determine growers' perception
and adoption/rejection
considerations for investing in
advanced lighting controls.
* Provide NRCS with practice
scenario guidance to facilitate
the technology's integration
into programs such as
the showing results for
the Environmental Quality
Incentives Program, aka EQIP.
* Promote awareness of the
technology through a variety of
outreach activities.
Raspberry Pi computers, controlling
almost any commercial network of lights.
Growers receive automatically-generated
reports. " We can go anywhere from 20
lights and 2,000 square feet to tens of
acres ... we just add more hardware. "
The third aspect of the study is the
socio-economic aspect of introducing
new technology.
" When you introduce a new
technology ... there is a lot of resistance
from the growers, " Mattos said. " We want
to understand the thought process. What
are the best ways to break the barrier, to
better communicate with growers? "
The project will include 12
" For the USDA, we want to show them
participating growers in Virginia,
California and Michigan - different
climates - and growing a variety of
crops, to demonstrate some of the light
controller's benefits to different kinds
of growers in different regions. In early
December, he was still nailing down
other growers to participate in the trial.
the efficacy of a new technology that
can work nationwide, " Mattos said. " We
don't want a technology that solves just
the problems of New York growers, or
California growers. So, we make sure that
these technologies are dynamic, can adapt
to all the crops and can provide benefits to
the entire greenhouse industry. " VGN
GREENHOUSES
ANY CLIMATE,
ANY CROP
FOR OVER
40 YEARS
GROWSPAN HAS
BEEN HELPING
GROWERS
ENERGY-EFFICIENT DESIGNS
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
EXPERT CONSULTATION
IN-HOUSE SERVICES
www.growspan.com
877.835.9996
VGN | FEBRUARY 2021 | 19
http://www.growspan.com
February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2021
