The University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC) and Phillips Lighting have conducted a recent study to find that placing LED lighting in a lunar greenhouse prototype increases the amount of high-quality, edible lettuce produced.
The study was conducted in a nine week period, according to EETimes Europe, where they replaced water-cooled high-pressure sodium (HPS) systems with Phillips’ energy efficient LED lighting in a prototype lunar greenhouse “while dramatically improving operational efficiency and use of resources.”
EETimes Europe reported that “lettuce grown under Philips LED modules achieved up to 54 grams/kWh of fresh weight, edible lettuce compared to lettuce grown under a high pressure sodium system which achieved only 24 grams/kWh of fresh weight, edible lettuce,” which represented energy savings of 56%.
“The lunar greenhouses equipped with Philips LED modules provided the light needed to produce the same amount of indoor crops that the specialized water-cooled sodium systems provide while significantly decreasing the amount of electrical energy used,” said Gene Giacomelli, Ph.D and CEAC Director.
“The Philips LED systems also cool independently, which means no additional investment is required in cooling water distribution,” reported EETimes Europe.
This find is significant for growing food to “help feed astronauts on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond,” according to EETimes Europe.
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