11 Mar Glenwood Valley Farms and Fluence Partner for LED Implementation, Driving Increased Crop Yields and Greater Energy Efficiency
LED installation enables Glenwood Valley Farms to increase light intensity without raising overall facility temperature
AUSTIN, Texas AND LANGLEY CITY, British Columbia (March 11, 2021)—Fluence by OSRAM (Fluence), a leading global provider of energy-efficient LED lighting solutions for commercial cannabis and food production, and Glenwood Valley Farms (Glenwood), a British Columbia-based greenhouse grower, announced the successful installation of Fluence’s broad-spectrum LED technology across one hectare of Glenwood’s cucumber greenhouse.
Glenwood—located in one of the most prominent regions in North America for greenhouse farming—grows tomatoes, cucumbers and various fruits year-round and distributes produce to local grocery stores and retailers through its strategic partnership with BC Hot House, a division of The Star Group. Herb Schlacht, the farm’s president and CEO, founded Glenwood more than 30 years ago. A progressive grower in constant search of innovative cultivation solutions, Schlacht is already recording greater crop yields following the first harvests under Fluence’s LEDs.
“Our partnership with Fluence is producing great results after just one crop cycle,” Schlacht said. “Together, I’m confident we will exceed our goals to grow bigger, more beautiful and tasty crops without sacrificing energy usage.”
Schlacht also noted a key advantage LEDs offer in comparison to high-pressure sodium (HPS) fixtures: the ability to increase light intensity by decoupling light and heat parameters. Decoupling reduces the risk of overheating the facility and ensures control over environmental conditions, resulting in better plant morphology and production response. Specifically, Schlacht achieved a photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 275 μmol/m2/s with Fluence’s LED technology—about a 50 percent increase over Glenwood’s HPS PPFD of 180 μmol/m2/s.
“Our greenhouse is four and a half meters tall. It would be impossible for us to reach that high of a light level with conventional HPS technology—we simply do not have an adequate buffer above our crop. Our Fluence fixtures allow us to grow in our existing greenhouse without risking excessive heat output,” Schlacht added.
“The possibilities for optimized energy efficiency and increased crop yields through LED technology are endless,” said Ron DeKok, senior vice president of North American sales for Fluence. “Our partnership with Glenwood Valley Farms demonstrates how Fluence is bringing market-leading, science-based solutions to growers that optimize production opportunities throughout the grow cycle. Herb’s early success also reinforces how LEDs are best suited to meet changing grocer and consumer demand for locally sourced, sustainably grown food year-round.”
For more information on Fluence, visit www.fluence.science.
About Fluence by OSRAM
Fluence Bioengineering, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of OSRAM, creates powerful and energy-efficient LED lighting solutions for commercial crop production and research applications. Fluence is a leading LED lighting supplier in the global cannabis market and is committed to enabling more efficient crop production with the world’s top vertical farms and greenhouse produce growers. Fluence global headquarters are based in Austin, Texas, with its EMEA headquarters in Rotterdam, Netherlands. For more information about Fluence, visit https://fluence.science.
About Glenwood Valley Farms
Glenwood Valley Farms is committed to growing Long English and mini cucumbers using the high-wire method. Our focus is on growing year-round using the latest technologies, in particular, focusing on LED lighting. We have a long-term strategic partnership with The Star Group and BC Hot House, focusing on quality produce for our end consumer. For more information on Glenwood Valley Farms, visit https://www.theglenwoodvalleyfarms.com/.