The HortiCann Light + Tech conference was held October 31st at the Downtown Sheraton in Denver Colorado. Formerly known as the Horticulture Lighting Conference, the conference name was changed to recognize the influence that cannabis is having on the horticulture market globally. The conference is put together by Endeavor Business Media (formerly PennWell) with the objective of gathering critical stakeholders in horticultural lighting to discuss findings and issues. Inventronics was once again a sponsor of the conference which included sharing dedicated literature on LED driver considerations for horticulture with participants and a position in the small exhibition held in conjunction with the conference.
The conference proceedings were opened and closed by Maury Wright, the editor of LEDs Magazine, where he highlighted the changes the market has seen and potential growth for the future. He indicated the North American cannabis market will have a 32% CAGR from the period of 2018 to 2023 with LED revenue surpassing traditional lighting by 2021. Over the course of the day, there were additional presentations covering a variety of topics.
A few key themes included:
- There is much research ongoing to the effect of lighting spectrum and plant development. This includes impact on growth, mass, nutritional value, appearance, etc.
- The market will mature creating cost pressure to insure a sustainable ROI.
- Controls will play a key role as adjustments based on plant, strain, stage, environment, etc. determine the optimum intensity and spectrum.
- Big data and artificial intelligence offer an opportunity to accelerate the market growth and adoption.
- Utilities are very interested in the market as it rivals data farms in terms of energy consumption. The DLC has recently released a standard “Horticulture lighting specification v1.2” to promote best practices.
Inventronics has an extensive product line of IP67 drivers at power levels of 320, 480, 600 and 1200W with models that include features such as high input voltage, UL wet rated, and controls ready, there are many options for building luminaires for the horticulture market. We are proud to be a sponsor of the HortiCann conference and enjoyed the opportunity to engage fellow stakeholders to support this important market.
