Limited Efficiency in a Controlled Environment
Limited Space Production and Supply
Maintaining High-Quality Produce and Year-Round Consistency and Supply
“We can use LEDs not only in the winter period, but also the spring, autumn and even summer to increase yield and stabilize quality. We are carrying out trials together with Fluence to figure out the best combination of light intensity and light spectrum in order to increase the neutral level to maximize margin and to differentiate ourselves in the market.”
Located in Beijing, China—the most populous national capital in the world, with more than 21 million residents—HortiPolaris stands on the cutting edge of farming and education amid a background of booming growth. Since 2000, Beijing has doubled in population and continues to grow, promising an even higher demand for fresh, quality produce. HortiPolaris is a science and technology leader in the region, delivering more than 20 types of tomatoes and 8 different crops of lettuce through online and offline channels.
Stepping into a HortiPolaris greenhouse feels more like walking into the future of what’s possible in controlled environment agriculture. A high ceiling overlooks 2,000 square meters of lettuce and 22,850 square meters of tomatoes, all grown with state-of-the-art technology and research inspired by best practices from Dutch greenhouses. A primary focus of HortiPolaris is exploration, which led operational decision-makers to switch from HPS lighting to LED solutions through Fluence, implementing several LED systems based on crop and preferences, such as AnthoSpec to improve the anthocyanin expression of red lettuce varieties.
VYPR with Physiospec and Anthospec, RAZR
Dan Xu, the founder and general manager of HortiPolaris, studied horticulture at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. There, he was introduced to the types of greenhouses that make growing possible in every season despite severe weather differences. He was impressed by the quality and quantity of produce in a controlled environment, inspiring him to bring that knowledge and passion for cultivation back to Beijing. HortiPolaris is not only a state-of-the-art farm, but also a center of research and learning—as more than 20,000 students visit the facility each year.
Originally equipped with HPS lighting, Dan found the exorbitant costs of energy to be unsustainable, particularly because the market valued quality over yield. The goal was to find a lighting option that cut energy costs, provided more consistent quality and morphology, and allowed more flexibility for growers to achieve desired traits. In its search, HortiPolaris discovered that Fluence’s diverse lighting solutions resolved many of their issues: lower energy consumption, stable quality and shorter winter grow cycles.
