Norway is located in Northern Europe. This means that natural sunlight is limited to just a few hours during the winter months. Without a supplemental lighting strategy, commercial growing in this region would be impossible. While cucumber production thrives in the summer, Norwegian markets face a shortage during winter months due to a limited local supply. The lack of natural light hinders many retailers’ ability to source locally and, in the end, leads to more imported crops.

Solbergs Gartneri is on a mission to grow more produce and maximize energy efficiencies. By collaborating with the cucumber specialist from Fluence’s horticulture service team, together we designed a lighting plan that addressed and resolved their current challenges with high-pressure sodium lamps (HPS). While the radiant heat that is emitted from HPS lamps limits how much light you can supplement and how close a fixture can be from the plants, LEDs are able to decouple the heat and light in the process. In other words, LED solutions not only allow for greater flexibility when establishing mounting height in low ceilings, but they also enable growers to increase light levels without damaging or burning the plants.