PPFD, DLI & photoperiod
Light intensity at crop level, daily light delivery, operating hours, and whether the lighting schedule matches crop and seasonal needs.
AGS Service
Lighting & Energy Strategy
Determine whether your lighting strategy can deliver enough crop value to justify its energy and capital cost.
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The Problem
Lighting is expensive, and more light does not automatically mean better economics.
Supplemental lighting can improve production, but the best option depends on crop response, greenhouse layout, light distribution, energy use, operating hours, maintenance, existing infrastructure, and production goals. A technology that performs well in one facility may not be the right fit in another.
Why It Matters
Lighting affects both capital investment and ongoing operating cost. A mismatched fixture, intensity, photoperiod, or control strategy can increase electricity use without delivering enough additional yield, quality, or production value to justify the cost.
How AGS Can Help
Connect crop response, energy use, and operational fit before committing capital.
Whether you are comparing new fixtures, reviewing an existing installation, or planning a trial before full-scale adoption, AGS helps organize the decision around practical operating factors. We assess available crop and lighting information, identify data gaps, compare options, and recommend the most useful next step.
Typical Deliverables
Depending on the project scope, deliverables may include:
- Lighting system and production-goal review
- Technology and fixture comparison
- Energy-use and operating-impact assessment
- Crop-response evaluation
- Upgrade or trial recommendations
- Monitoring and data-collection plan
Lighting Trials
Lighting decisions should be tested against crop response and operating goals.
Controlled-environment trials can help compare crop development under defined lighting conditions before larger-scale investment or adoption.
What AGS Evaluates
Evaluate lighting as a crop-production and investment decision.
Lighting should be assessed as a connected system: how much useful light reaches the crop, how the crop responds, what the system consumes, and whether the production benefit fits the operating goal.
Distribution & uniformity
Spatial variation across the crop, fixture layout, canopy-level measurements, and areas that may be over- or under-lit.
Spectrum & crop response
Spectral characteristics considered alongside crop morphology, development, and the production objective rather than as a stand-alone specification.
Canopy & physiology
Canopy development, light interception, photosynthetic response, plant balance, and other crop measurements when the project requires deeper evaluation.
Yield & quality response
Marketable yield, fruit size or quality, crop uniformity, and production timing used to determine whether additional light creates meaningful crop value.
Energy & investment trade-offs
Fixture power, operating hours, energy use, capital cost, maintenance, existing infrastructure, and the production gain required to justify a change.
Common Questions
Questions clients often ask before starting.
These answers are general guidance. The right recommendation depends on the crop, facility, data available, and the decision you need to make.
What is the difference between PPFD and DLI?
PPFD describes the rate of photosynthetically active photons reaching a surface at a given moment. DLI describes the total amount delivered over the day, so it reflects both intensity and photoperiod.
Does higher PPFD always increase greenhouse yield?
No. Crop response depends on crop stage, existing sunlight, temperature, CO₂, irrigation, nutrition, canopy condition, photoperiod, and diminishing biological response. More light can also increase energy cost without creating proportional marketable value.
What should be checked before a greenhouse LED retrofit?
The review should consider current and target light levels, distribution, seasonal DLI, fixture layout, electrical and structural constraints, control strategy, expected crop response, operating hours, energy cost, and how success will be measured.
How can different lighting technologies be compared fairly?
Compare them at the crop level using consistent light targets and measurements, then evaluate crop performance, uniformity, energy consumption, operating requirements, and capital cost under the same production objective.
When is a lighting trial worth doing before a full investment?
A trial is useful when the expected crop response is uncertain, technologies differ substantially, the investment is large, or the operation needs local evidence before changing a full greenhouse compartment or facility.
Who This Service Is For
Support matched to the decision you need to make.
- Commercial greenhouse growers
- Greenhouse developers and investors
- Lighting and ag-tech companies
- Research and demonstration facilities
Next Step
Have a similar challenge?
Share the question, system change, or project you are considering. A finished scope is not required.