According to China Electronics News, two years ago, many industry experts said in an interview with reporters that, due to the weakness of basic agricultural research and the high cost of LEDs, the agricultural application of LED lighting is still in its infancy in China. Little attention. Times have changed, how is the development of LED agricultural lighting today?
LED agricultural lighting tends to specialize
LEDs have incomparable advantages and applicable principles in modern agriculture. Not only has the scope of application expanded, but the classification has become more specialized and refined.
Compared to traditional electric light sources, LEDs have incomparable advantages and applicable principles in modern agriculture. "With the continuous progress in the research of the spectrum required for the growth of plants and animals, and the significant reduction in the cost of LED production, driven by demonstration applications in various regions, the domestic LED agricultural lighting industry has developed rapidly in the past two years." Junsheng Investment Management Investment director Zhang Wei said in an interview with reporters.
Not only the scope of application has been expanded, but the classification has become more specialized and refined. Song Changbin, a researcher at the Institute of Semiconductors of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the China Electronics News that the application of LEDs in agriculture, in addition to the "plant factory" as we know it, also includes aquaculture, livestock, poultry, flowers and herbs. Although the general direction is to increase production and income, the application of different categories involves different disciplines, and therefore requires the concerted efforts of professionals in multiple fields.
According to Song Changbin, in the field of aquaculture that he is familiar with, the research results have been industrialized, and many domestic fishery companies have benefited from cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In Zhang Wei's opinion, the application of LED lighting in the agricultural field is divided into two levels. The first level is to use the most basic energy-saving attributes of LED lighting. Taking the livestock and poultry breeding industry as an example, artificial lighting is one of the important means for intensifying the environmental control of livestock and poultry houses. Using LED light sources to replace the incandescent and fluorescent lamps that have been used for a long time can greatly reduce energy consumption and reduce costs. The second level is to achieve intelligent lighting with LEDs by selecting wavelengths and adjusting power. Light quality control based on the physiological needs of livestock and poultry can greatly improve production efficiency.
Various plant lighting "Qianjing"
The global LED plant growth lamp output value has begun to show rapid growth since 2013, growing from 10 million US dollars to about 35 million US dollars in 2014, and is expected to reach 300 million US dollars in 2017.
植物 In many application categories, the development of plant lighting has the most potential. "LED as a light source for plant lighting can be widely used in many fields such as facility cultivation, tissue culture, plant factories, etc. It has many advantages such as promoting plant growth, regulating plant morphology, energy saving and environmental protection." Zhang Wei said, "Among them, the plant factory set Modern biotechnology, information technology, artificial environment control and other high technologies are integrated into one, not only yielding multiple times higher than land cultivation, but also can be produced on non-arable land such as Gobi, desert, island, water surface and even urban buildings. It is also considered to be an effective technical means to solve problems such as population, resources and the environment in the future. "
In fact, in countries and regions with less agricultural personnel, such as Japan, South Korea, the United States, and Europe, LED plant lighting is much more popular than China, and the sales market of LED plant growth lights is also concentrated in these regions. Data show that the global LED plant growth lamp output value has begun to show rapid growth since 2013, from 10 million US dollars to about 35 million US dollars in 2014, and is expected to reach 300 million US dollars in 2017.
Although it started late, LED plant lighting is more and more well known in the country. As an agricultural high-tech enterprise affiliated to the Institute of Agricultural Environment and Sustainable Development of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing Zhonghuan Yida Facilities Horticulture Technology Co., Ltd. is the earliest domestic research and promotion of key technologies in plant factories, LED plant light sources, home gardening and supporting products. Development and planning of agricultural parks. The company's marketing director Wei Zihan told reporters that at present, domestic plant factories have moved from government demonstration projects in various places to more and more high-end communities, and the operation of the project itself has begun to shift from simple demonstration and viewing to the pursuit of balance of payments and even profitability. .
Domestic enterprises are ready to go
With the rapid development of China's photovoltaic industry, the decline in photovoltaic power generation costs has made it possible for LED plant factories to profit. If a suitable profit model is found, LED plant factories can develop rapidly in China.
According to Wei Zihan, after years of research and accumulation, the company's plant growth-promoting LED lighting products not only save energy by 60% to 80% than ordinary fluorescent lamps, but also include red light and blue light in a special formula composed of light quality. Different proportions of green, yellow, and far-infrared light are used. Among them, green light protects the human eye. Yellow light can increase the value of chlorophyll and carotene in the object itself to improve the nutritional value of the plant. Far-infrared light can Increase plant yield by 10% to 20%.
"For different users and plants, we will provide different technical solutions." Wei Zihan said, "but technology is only one part of it, and the operation and maintenance of the entire project is the most critical point."
Wei Zihan admits that the development of LED plant lighting in China is at a critical stage from demonstration to profitability, including the National Agricultural Science and Technology Exhibition Park of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, which is responsible for the operation and management of the company. Many domestic LED plant factories are in Actively explore the main profit model through various methods such as membership supply and cooperation with high-end restaurants. "Once a certain road goes through and goes smoothly, the LED plant factory can develop rapidly in China." He believes.
With the rapid development of China's photovoltaic industry, the decline in photovoltaic power generation costs has also made it possible for LED plant factories to profit. “According to our calculations, the current cost of organic vegetables produced by photovoltaic-powered LED plant factories is only about 20% higher than that of ordinary organic vegetables on the market.” Zhao Ning, technical director of Dongying Chemical, told reporters, “and the future of technology It's only a matter of time before the cost of development comes down. "
According to Zhao Ning, with the support of the local government, the company's participation in the smart agricultural demonstration park using LED, photovoltaic and other technologies will soon be put into operation. It is expected that the park will occupy an area of 10,000 mu, which will not only bring significant The demonstration effect can create considerable economic benefits.
"There is huge room for development in the domestic market, but it will take some time to cultivate." Zhao Ning believes that "this is a good time to enter the overseas market." It is reported that the company introduced cost-effective LED plant growth promotion lamps for European and American markets. Will be available next month. "The market is not worrying." Zhao Ning told reporters with a smile.
"Compared with other companies, companies like Zhonghuan Yida and Dongying Chemical are themselves engaged in production and sales in the midstream of the industrial chain, and they also have advantages in operating plant factories in downstream applications. This is in contrast to photovoltaic manufacturing companies. It is also a reason to build and operate power stations. "Zhang Wei agreed with this model.
