The sun also rises in a greenhouse

The sun also rises in a greenhouse

It all started in a garage like the legendary American businesses. Today, their lamps have illuminated greenhouse crops in Poland and abroad. Plantalux, a start-up company based in Konopnica near Lublin, developed an LED illumination system designed for greenhouses.

‘In 2015, we made our first LED lamp and sent it to a contest by the Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute based in Strzelce. Several months later, news arrived that we won the first place. Tests proved that our lamp was the most energy efficient and, at the same time, promoted the fastest growth of plants. And since we were capable of making such a good product, we decided to establish a company,’ says Jakub Lachowski, the Managing Director of Plantalux Sp. z o.o. Together with his brother Rafał and father Jacek they joined one of start-up platforms operating in Eastern Poland. Their idea was incubated under the supervision of experts who provided their professional advice and the product passed compulsory tests. Since the lamp was ready, the only component needed was a smart control system.

Plants and insects are genetically trained to follow sun rises and sets. The software helps to copy the nature. ‘For instance, the light is slowly dimed to imitate the sun set. Thus, bumblebees that pollinate plants in a greenhouse receive a signal to go back to their nests. In case light is suddenly switched off, pollinators die since they are deprived of the “natural compass” and cannot find their way back. In the morning, sunlight has a higher blue content, whereas in the evening the red wavelength prevails. Our lamps can be programed to imitate natural cycles,’ explains Jakub Lachowski.

Rated lamp power
Research by the Lublin University of Life Sciences has proven that the use of the Plantalux 200 W LED lamp produces yields equivalent to that of high pressure sodium (HPS) 600 W lamps.

The company supports its clients by providing advice on how to grow crops using company’s products. Innovative LED lamps combined with a control system translate into automation and efficient energy consumption. Such arguments are very convincing for greenhouse horticulturalists.

Project: Plantalux – horticulture professional LED COB lights with a control system
Project cost: PLN 1 million, including PLN 756 thousand from the European Regional Development Fund, Eastern Poland Programme