Current, powered by GE has provided its Arize horticultural lighting solution to Stockbridge Technology Centre’s newly opened Vertical Farming Development Facility which enables growers to test and model their individual urban farm setup prior to investment.

(Image: Current by GE)

The new Vertical Farming Development Facility is supported by Innovate UK and based at Stockbridge Technology Centre. By leveraging Current’s Arize horticultural lighting solution, the facility is designed to help entrepreneurs, growers and investors gain deeper insight into the technology and environmental parameters needed to optimize crop yields before breaking ground on their own vertical farming operations. The research facility is located in Selby, North Yorkshire.

With the aim to propel commercial urban farming in the UK, the vertical farming center provides a platform for potential investors and vertical farmers to work with vertical farming experts. By applying the LED lighting solution provided by Current, they can identify and test the perfect vertical farm setup to maximize their planned harvest’s size, nutritional value and visual appeal.

(Image: Current by GE)

The installation contains two identical grow rooms with a total growing area of 228 square meters which is under full climate control and a recirculating hydroponics system. Four tiers of cropping racks are lit by 780m of Arize LED lighting, delivering a balanced spectrum of red and blue wavelengths that will help boost the development of a broad range of plants.

Malcolm Yare, Horticulture Business Development Manager for Current by GE, said, “Light is critical to the success of any crop and by focusing on combining the most effective wavelengths with the optimal environmental conditions, we can help growers outpace traditional methods by creating more “farmable space” in industrial and urban areas, increasing global harvests in a way that is both commercially and environmentally sustainable.”