LED grow lights movement in Japan The number of plant factories with artificial lighting (PFAL) has been increasing in Japan. Numerous Japanese companies started PFAL businesses particularly after 2009, which has been called the third PFAL boom. Multiple LED manufacturing companies have entered this up-and-coming sector. Just like other PFAL-related firms including system manufacturers/suppliers, LED light companies have been facing increased competition, scrambling for limited opportunities in the domestic market. Lighting companies active in the Japanese PFAL market include: Showa Denko, Nihon Advanced Agri, Keystone Technology, Ushio Lighting, Toshiba, Kyocera and Stanley Electric. LED lights from foreign firms, including Philips Lighting and Current, which is powered by GE, are also being installed in large-scale commercial PFALs in Japan.
Switching from fluorescent lights to LEDs Among approximately 200 commercial PFALs in Japan, the majority of farms opened before 2010 are equipped with fluorescent lights (FLs). These farms are gradually replacing FLs with LED lights. For this reason, apart from newly established PFALs, there are large replacement demands for LED lights in the Japanese PFAL market. LED light companies are required to provide multifaceted solutions with diversified PFAL business models, crop varieties and targeted nutrient components. As is the case with academic research, red-blue LEDs, white LEDs, purple LEDs and other wavebands have been extensively 56
discussed and studied for the last few years. Some companies are also starting to pursue the supplemental lighting business after experiencing LED grow light PFAL projects for some years.
Clarifying LED issues While there has been progress in the industry, LED users have some issues with LED grow lights that need clarification. These include a lack of uniformity of product features or specifications of LED light systems between companies. This lack of uniformity could cause confusion particularly when evaluating and comparing multiple LED light options or conducting research. In order to address these concerns, in September 2015 the Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA) organized a committee and facilitated activities with major LED grow light companies, LEDrelated companies and academic experts. After holding a series of discussions, the committee created an example table for LED lighting systems. The table includes optical, energy and system characteristics and other items measured by a total luminous flux measurement system. Some of the committee’s outcomes were published and presented by Dr. Eiji Goto at Chiba University, Graduate School of Horticulture, at the 2016 academic conference, Japanese Society of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Engineers and Scientists in Kanazawa, Japan. More details can be found in the new book, “LED Lighting for Urban Agriculture,” published by Springer Singapore. The book’s editors are Toyoki Kozai, Kazuhiro Fujiwara and Erik Runkle.