Standard communication protocol makes the switch to LED lighting easier for growers

Greenhouse automation suppliers Hoogendoorn Growth Management and Priva, Ridder, a manufacturer of specialist technical systems for greenhouse horticulture, with the support of lighting companies, have developed a new protocol to standardise and facilitate the communication between LED lighting and climate computers.

The protocol drives innovation and collaboration within the sector, follows the Horticulture Date Protocol (HDP)* and makes switching to LED lighting easier for growers.

The protocol is flying the Hortivation flag (with industry bodies setting up research projects through institutions such as TNO).

Sustainability and digitisation are hotly debated issues in greenhouse horticulture, with massive investments in LED lighting in recent years.

LED lights save energy and allow growers better to manage their crops with ideal lighting and climate computer communicating clearly with each other.

However, many LED light fixtures and suppliers create a jungle of communication protocols. Therefore, a standard protocol for the control of LED lighting is great news for stakeholders within the world of horticultural LED lights: greenhouse automation suppliers, lighting companies and growers.

Working with many different protocols increases implementation costs and gives rise to additional support and management questions. With the arrival of a uniform communication protocol, the implementation of greenhouse LED lighting become more straightforward, less time-consuming and cheaper. The standard will also give the growers more peace of mind.

* HDP is an initiative of Ledgnd, Inventeers and Glastuinbouw Nederland and develops and trials tools for the new protocol and aims to expand the dimming protocol for sensors and other equipment. The new communication protocol will be made available as an open standard via https://www.hortivation.nl/nl/data/. The first products will communicate via the new protocol this year.