Growing in a desert might seem impossible, but plants can thrive during all seasons with the proper greenhouse structure. HK Growers Ghost Town Facility in Wells, Nevada, has a state-of-the-art greenhouse, utilizing all the best and latest technology, including a MegaDrive lighting system.
California LightWorks has been providing this greenhouse’s supplemental lighting to see growth at all levels, despite inclement weather the majority of the year. With easy installation and control access, the various tools to help with humidity, lighting, and temperature work cohesively to create ideal growing conditions year-round.
The MegaDrive lighting system allows for simple installation and accessible controls. All power units can be mounted inside or outside the greenhouse, away from the canopy, so that it can pull heat out. All electronic aspects are reachable since there aren’t any in the lights. This makes MegaDrive easy to install, adjust, and service and more reliable.
The Ghost Town greenhouse uses about 300 μmols to supplement in the winter during low-light months. Lights can be run at full blast or adjusted on a spectrum, varying from blue and red. They can be adjusted independently and installed with no power drops. The power drop can remain along the wall, and power supplies have all the controls, so lighting is easy to change and monitor.
In the main flower area of the greenhouse, 600 μmols is the target light level. They use 32 of the 400-watt fixtures for each row, powered on each side instead of above or in the lights. There are no electrical connections or power drops over the canopy, and the entire design used a precise, computer-generated light plan to create even light throughout the room.
Carson was able to take advantage of Salinas’s partnership with PG&E, which offers energy conservation rebates to businesses that opted for LED light fixtures. Through this program, Carson received 25% of the fixture cost refunded – a significant sum of money. This helped him finance his lights.
Location significantly affects the growing industry, especially for a greenhouse. Working in the desert means there are scorching summers and frigid winters. Blazing heat and then snow later on create challenging and changing conditions to combat throughout the year. But the Ghost Town greenhouse in Wells utilizes a good mix of environmental control systems, air movement, heating, humidity, and lighting. This allows them to maintain growth no matter the outside conditions.
The greenhouse uses a high-performance water curtain for the hotter months and gas heaters in the winter. The MegaDrive power supplies do not interfere with these structures and remain easy to install and service.
The HK Growers greenhouse is connected to the Wadsworth seed environmental control system, which combines all the controls for humidity, lights, shade curtains, airflow, and more. They can all work together to achieve optimal growing conditions. It can even control red and white light individually through this system and uses photo sensors that provide feedback on light levels at the canopy level and adjust the lights automatically to maintain critical DLI. This greenhouse also used rolling benches to maximize space and maximize efficiency.
If you rely solely on the sun, you get a lot of shade deep in the canopy. Supplemental lighting penetrates lower in the canopy, and the customization helps keep it even. Thorough lighting provides higher quality plants at all levels within the canopy, not only at the top.
The MegaDrive® Linear 400 and Dual 400 are designed for supplemental lighting in greenhouses. The slim design minimizes the shadow effect while providing up to 2,100 µMoles/s PPF to cover a large area.
California Lightworks MegaDrive® LED lighting system provides indoor quality in a greenhouse environment, the best of both grow worlds. CLW lighting systems offer more customization and easy installation to save time, money, and energy while promoting better growth and quality.
Don’t compromise when it comes to growing. Using the best technology available with produce higher yields for less overtime. The California Lightworks MegaDrive® LED lighting installation at the Ghost Town facility brought significant energy savings, better plant growth, and higher quality of the crops. And it can do the same for you. Learn about how MegaDrive could improve your operations by reaching out today to speak with our lighting experts.
California LightWorks
7949 Deering Ave
Canoga Park, CA 91304
(800) 575-3475, Inside USA
(747) 444-3380, Outside USA
