Desarrollo de un sistema de iluminación artificial LED para cultivos en interiores - Vertical Farming (VF)

Abstract

The concept of vertical farming, also related to Building Integrated Agriculture (BIA), is a new approach to production based on the idea of locating high performance crops system in buildings to produce food inside them, using renewable resources, local energy, and water. Lighting systems used in indoor farming are known as growth lights and they are used as an artificial light sources. These operate in three different ways: 1) they provide all the light that the plant needs for growing; 2) they complement the natural light, especially in the winter, where daylight hours are shorter than in other stations 3) increase the period of daylight in order to activate the growth and flowering. This reading describes the most important characteristics of LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting systems for indoor farming and a prototype lighting that emulates solar performance, that is, the intensity of light varies in a defined time period (6 hour light phase and 2 hours dark phase make a work cycle, which is repeated three times a day), where the operating model will be to provide all the light that the plant needs for healthy growth, in an environment free from sunlight.