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Dec 2022
Tomato grower Redgrow from Belgium expands with Philips GreenPower LED toplighting
Tomato grower Redgrow from Belgium expands with Philips GreenPower LED toplighting
- Successful cultivation with a combination of HPS and Philips GreenPower LED interlighting, together with rising energy prices, lead to investment in Philips GreenPower LED toplighting compact
- Redgrow can grow tomatoes year-round with this solution
- Watch the video where Alain shows you around in his greenhouse
Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), world leader in lighting, will supply Belgian tomato grower Redgrow with LED grow lights again. After a number of successful years of cultivation with a combination of HPS and Philips GreenPower LED interlighting, Redgrow took the next step to a lighting installation with 295 µmol/m2. The Philips GreenPower LED toplighting compact (TLC) was selected due to the rising energy costs. The TLC made the transition from the existing HPS installation to LED easy for Redgrow and gave them the possibility to grow year-round.
In 2019, Redgrow made the transition from using only HPS lighting to a hybrid combination with Philips GreenPower LED interlighting, thereby raising the light level from 180 µmol/m2 to 255 µmol/m2. “Given the fact that the energy prices were rising, and we knew we were not going to make extensive use of the HPS, we raised the hours of use for the interlighting. Because of that we were able to use the interlighting for more hours than the HPS.” Alain Moortgat says. “This year we came to approximately 1000 hours of HPS and 2000 hours of interlighting. That was a lot more last year. With the low energy prices, we then came to 2000 hours of HPS and 3000 hours of interlighting.” In the meantime energy prices have gone up, which might affect lighting hours for coming season. At this moment we light the crop with the LED installation, and the HPS lights will hardly be used.”
Alain does see a difference in pruning: “Due to the high energy prices and less lighting hours, we had to prune at 3 tomatoes. In January we were back at 4, and now at the end of cultivation we almost leave everything, so up to 6 tomatoes. We planted our new crop back in August and started harvesting as of half of September.”
Alain Moortgat and his wife run the company Redgrow close to Antwerp in Belgium together and would love to show you around in their greenhouse. Watch the video and see how Redgrow grows the Matinaro variety, which is harvested according to color. “We’ve noticed that the interlighting stimulates the tomatoes a lot. I’m very content with how the plants survived the winter.” To cover the peak in June and July, Redgrow has chosen to install a humidifying system and give a bit more moisture to the air. “That makes things a bit easier for the plants.”
Image above – grower Alain Moortgat
For further information, please contact:
New Zealand Contact:
Graeme Neale
Business Development Manager
Specification, Systems and LED Agriculture Solutions
Mobile + 64 21 2254526
Email graeme.neale@signify.com
Level 3, 123 Carlton Gore Road,
Newmarket, Auckland 1023
Australian Contact:
Aart Slobbe
Account Manager Horticulture LED Solutions
+ 61 448 881 338
Suite 022, 44 Lakeview Drive
Scoresby, VIC 3179, Australia
Or for other international readers please contact:
Global Marcom Manager Horticulture at Signify
Daniela Damoiseaux
Tel: +31 6 31 65 29 69
E-mail: daniela.damoiseaux@signify.com
About Signify
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. With 2021 sales of EUR 6.9 billion, we have approximately 37,000 employees and are present in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for five consecutive years and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page.