lighting in agriculture is a major energy cost especially for enclosed
production operations updating to LED lighting is one of the largest potential
energy savings for farm operations it can also improve production worker
safety and the overall well-being of plants and animals
we are a commercial turkey operation and grower for Michigan turkey producers in
West Michigan we start around 700,000 tom turkeys annually we grow them to an
age of approximately 19 to 20 weeks and hopefully they leave our facility at
about 45 pounds when they go to market we have tried to be on what we'd like to
think is the cutting edge of energy efficiency in West Michigan LED lighting
is the primary thing that got us involved we want to reduce our lighting
load by about 50 percent overall so we're getting close
LED stands for light emitting diode and it's a light with a much longer life
span than other types of lighting LED lighting was one of the best things to
start with it was very cheap to do and you get a lot of bang for your buck
we have LED tubes like to use in your old fluorescent style bulbs and then we
have also screw in LED bulbs LEDs can be configured to produce any color of the
rainbow however the more common color
classifications are warm white cool white white and daylight which are
determined by their color temperature measured in Kelvin white light is about
5000 Kelvin which is the color temperature of light from the Sun at
noon on a cloudless day unlike other lamps switching an LED light off and on
does not reduce its lifespan an LED will lose some of its lumen output over time
though less than other types of lamps and as it nears the end of its life an
LEDs color output will shift to a warmer slightly yellowish color temperature
agricultural operations often provide the toughest environment for LED lamps
and their circuitry subjecting them to a mixture of high moisture and humidity
excessive dirt and dust extreme temperature variations vibration and
shaking from machinery or animals as well as a voltage fluctuations
conditions that will more quickly deteriorate lumen output and reduce the
lamps lifespan so farmers should use commercial grade LED fixtures and lamps
that can effectively operate under harsh conditions and commercial grade fixtures
will also hold up to being cleaned this is important because dirt that
accumulates not only reduces illumination but access insulation
increasing fixture heat and reducing bulb life a study by the Department of
Energy determined that after 7,000 hours of operation LED lamps on outdoor poles
decreased illumination by an average of 34 percent we also wanted a spray down
rated fixture the environments really harsh so this fixture I can directly
spray it it can handle the dust it can handle the dirt they've actually held up
quite well we've only had probably less than 2 to 3% failure and all the
fixtures we've put in installing and testing a couple of lights before
purchasing for the whole facility is also a good way to determine which are
most resistant to vibration and shaking from machinery equipment or jostling by
large animals we tried probably half a dozen different
fixtures before we picked the one that we went with so there were quite a few
different criteria we went with but we narrowed it down to this one we're
pretty happy with it and make sure the LEDs selected can function properly
under extreme temperatures LEDs kind of have a tendency to like the
cold weather brother you turn them on and they're bright right now farms
typically run large electric motors and are often located far down the line of
electrical distribution networks this can expose agricultural operations to
large voltage fluctuations that negatively impact LEDs electronic
circuitry reducing lifespan and increasing the likelihood of failure
check the manufacturers technical specifications to identify the lamps
operating voltage range above and below the normal 110 to 120 volt level the
wider the range the more tolerant the lamp will be to voltage fluctuations by
choosing the right color temperature for your LEDs you can increase productivity
whether it be for improving plant growth or increasing milk production or
promoting beneficial animal behavior later videos in this series will explore
these opportunities in greater detail in purchasing LED lamps and fixtures these
two logos should be displayed in the technical specifications on the
packaging the UL or underwriters laboratory logo and the dlc or design
lights consortium logo the UL listing certifies LED lamps for their safety of
operation check the specs for information on the lamps capability to
operate under dry damp or wet environments DLC listed lighting
products come with a five-year minimum warranty an independent safety
certification and are tested to show lumen output per watt and lumen
maintenance of 40 to 50,000 hours your utility provider will have a list of dlc
LED lighting products that qualify for rebates for selecting LEDs I believe
that the longevity is important and from what we've seen in five years we've
never had a bulb fail on its own ever I mean just the energy savings plus the
clean list of the light LEDs are clean the light itself is something that
please my eye you know if it pleases me I've I'm
hoping that it pleases the cows and I think it does selecting LED lighting in
agriculture has potentially large benefits for improving energy efficiency
working environment safety and production that can lead to greater
profits and a smaller greenhouse gas footprint it is important to select the
right LEDs for your operations lighting is often a major long-term investment so
don't hesitate to ask for assistance from agricultural lighting experts in
your state
you