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State-of-the-art LED lights installed in the constant temperature room

At University of Copenhagen, we have replaced our high-pressure mercury (Hg) lamps with modern LED in the constant temperature room where we grow rice for experiments. Time will show if the plants like the new light.

An incident where a high-pressure mercury (Hg) lamp exploded in the team’s constant temperature room helped our team realize the need for a safer and more energy-friendly solution. The team has decided to remove the old lamps and install brand new high-output, full-spectrum LED panels.

These new lamps have better quality and their power consumption is expected to be lower for each photon produced. Higher light intensities can also be achieved by about 50% of full tropical sunlight. Despite that, the team estimates that there will be over 50% savings in electricity costs. Moreover, it also paves the road for Silver Status in the LEAF Green Lab Certification.

This piece of infrastructure is key for the team since rice cultivation has to take place indoors as we are located in a temperate climate in Southern Scandinavia.

Juan Jiménez and Shuai Tong are busy fitting the new LED light panels. They come with an adjustment system enabling vertical positioning. They also produce much less heat so that the tip of the leaves no longer become burnt.