Neurather Gärtner GbR was founded in Grevenbroich, Germany, in 2010 by four German entrepreneurs. On 46 hectares, the company grows tomatoes, peppers, and chilli peppers for the high-taste portion of the regional market. Neurather was the first company in Germany to install hybrid lighting in 2015, having understood the critical role of proper illumination. This has allowed them to provide produce to clients throughout the year.
“Our biggest challenge is energy and labor costs, and we need to decrease our energy expenses wherever possible,” says Carsten Knodt, one of the four partners in the business. According to Knodt, German energy prices are strikingly higher than in neighboring Benelux countries, which is a considerable competitive hurdle for German farmers.
Setting up an ideal lighting system is critical in precision farming, as poor lighting will inevitably result in poorer yields and greater expenses. As part of their efforts to increase production volumes while lowering energy costs, Neurather Gärtner chose Tungsram LED bulbs to be installed at one of its manufacturing facilities.
“Our main goal is to improve the taste of our products and increase our production amount while reducing our costs. We need more lights to achieve better taste but if we want to lower our energy costs, we need more efficient lamps. That’s why we decided to install Tungsram’s LED lamps,” in three of our greenhouses where we grow tomatoes, says Jana Knodt, Management Assistant at Neurather.
The chosen twin module lamp, known as the TUAS Linear Toplight, was created to replace typical 1000W High Pressure Sodium (HPS) bulbs. The module has a comparable light output of 1,846 mol/s and a higher effectiveness of 3.6 mol/J, resulting in a 53 percent reduction in energy usage. The luminaire has a life expectancy of over 50,000 hours.
The unique spectrum toplight module comprises a precise blend of wavelengths that provides an optimum spectrum for numerous crops, with a particular concentration on tomatoes, to develop efficiently. The module offers identical mounting characteristics and connection options as HPS lights, which simplifies the switchover to a great extent. It also has a passive cooling system to save maintenance expenses.
According to Jana Knodt, the installation of the new lighting took less time than the business owners had anticipated because of the simple hanging method. The first batch of luminaries came in mid-October 2021, with the final batch arriving in the first week of December 2021.
Installation took place in stages to avoid disrupting production on the 11 hectares involved in the project. The lamps are turned on for around 12 hours per day during the summer, and 19 hours per day during the winter.
Learn more about Tungsram Agritech LED Lighting
