Fluence, a provider of LED lighting solutions for commercial cannabis production, released the ninth annual “State of the Cannabis Lighting Market” report in collaboration with Cannabis Business Times.
Headlining this year’s report is more evidence of the consistent adoption of LED technology among cannabis growers. Survey respondents also noted increased interest in augmenting their top light solutions with side, intercanopy or sub-canopy lighting.
“LED adoption is on the precipice of becoming the universal standard for critical phases of cannabis cultivation, delivering greater yields than HPS with less heat and energy consumption—without sacrificing crop quality,” said Dr. David Hawley, principal scientist for Fluence. “For growers, those benefits have catalyzed an interest in adding even more energy within the canopy via intercanopy and sub- or under-canopy lighting, which Fluence research has shown could produce greater yields and higher-quality buds in the lower canopy when deployed additively to top lighting.”
Major findings from the report include:
- Seventy-eight percent of survey participants reported using LEDs for the vegetative phase, while 77% reported using LEDs for flowering—up 61 and 62 percentage points, respectively, from the report’s inaugural publishing in 2016.
- Sixty-five percent of commercial growers considering adding lighting in the next 12 months want to explore ways to augment top lighting, such as side, intercanopy or sub-canopy fixtures. Growers’ interest in intercanopy lighting grew 10 percentage points from 2023.
- Forty-two percent of participants ranked “crop quality” as the most important consideration for LED adoption.
- Twenty-three percent of growers surveyed said 40% to 50% red was the most important spectral property for the flowering phase.
The report precedes MJBizCon’s 2024 event, where Fluence will showcase the latest products in its VYPR, RAPTR, SPYDR and VYNE series. The company will also host public fireside chats at its booth with leading cannabis researchers and growers, including Travis Higginbotham, founder and CEO of Due Diligence Horticulture, and Dave Holmes, founder and CEO of Clade.
