Environmental Impacts of Photoluminescence and Light
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sustainability Article Environmental Impacts of Photoluminescence and Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Lighting Technologies in Horticulture: Case Study on Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) and LED Lights for “Night Break” of Chrysanthemum Cultivation Thi Thu Linh Hoang 1,2,*, Thi Gam Do 1, Van Thao Nguyen 1, Hoai Chau Nguyen 2,3 and Hong Khoi Phan 1,* 1 Center for High Technology Development, VAST, Hanoi 10000, Vietnam; [email protected] (T.G.D.); [email protected] (V.T.N.) 2 Faculty of Environmental Technology, Graduate University of Science & Technology (GUST), VAST, Hanoi 10000, Vietnam; [email protected] 3 Institute of Environmental Technology (IET), VAST, Hanoi 10000, Vietnam * Correspondence: [email protected] (T.T.L.H.); [email protected] (H.K.P.); Tel.: +84-98-3416689 (T.T.L.H.); Fax: +84-24-3791-6283 (T.T.L.H.) Received: 7 August 2020; Accepted: 17 September 2020; Published: 25 September 2020 Abstract: The environmental impacts of photoluminescence and light-emitting diode (LED) lighting technologies in horticulture are described in this paper. As a case study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) associated with the raw materials, air, water and natural resources of screw-based compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and screw-based horticultural LED lamps (abbreviated as H-LED) used for “night break” effect in chrysanthemum cultivation is considered. Instead of the unit of radiant power of lighting sources (lumens) used in human lighting, the photon flux (micromoles per second) of the plant light is used in this study. The results of the study show that the environmental impacts of the H-LED lighting technology are markedly less than the fluorescent lamps. Therefore, the shift to LED lighting technology in horticulture in general, and “night break” chrysanthemum cultivation in particular, brings about tremendous benefits not only for saving energy and improving crop quality, but also for protecting the air/climate, water, soil and natural resources. Keywords: artificial light; CFL; LED; horticulture; chrysanthemum; air/climate; water; soil; natural resources 1. Introduction Electric lamps, such as fluorescent lamps, are widely used to supplement sunlight (supplemental lighting) and day-length extension (photoperiodic lighting) for the production of horticultural crops in greenhouses. Recent advances in light-emitting diode (LED) technology now provide the horticultural industry with multiple lighting options. However, to our knowledge, almost all of the previous studies of artificial lights focused only on the evaluation of effectiveness and energy saving of the different kinds of lamps, including horticultural light emitting diode (H-LED) lights used for horticultural applications [1–8]. These studies neglected to examine the influence of artificial lighting sources on the environment associated with four environmental categories: air/climate, water, soil and resources. However, reduced environmental impact is one of the major selling points of artificial lighting sources and an in-depth environmental impact study is initiated in our study. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used because it is an approach well-suited for comparing the environmental impacts of the traditional Sustainability 2020, 12, 7969; doi:10.3390/su12197969 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2020, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 10 Sustainability 2020, 12, 7969 2 of 9 categories: air/climate, water, soil and resources. However, reduced environmental impact is one of the major selling points of artificial lighting sources and an in-depth environmental impact study is lightinginitiated sources in our with study. H-LED Life lighting.cycle assessment It provides (LCA) an was excellent used because methodology it is an approach to answer well-suited the question “Is thefor proposed comparing H-LED the environmental light better forimpacts the environment of the traditional than lighting the traditional sources with light?”. H-LED To respondlighting. It to this question,provides a case an studyexcellent on methodology the environmental to answer impacts the question of compact “Is the fluorescent proposed H-LED lamps light (CFL) better and for H-LED lightsthe for environment night break than of chrysanthemum the traditional light?”. cultivation To respond was carried to this out. question, a case study on the Chrysanthemumenvironmental impacts is one of ofcompact the most fluorescent important lamps cut (CFL) flowers and and H-LED has thelights highest for night consumption break of in the world.chrysanthemum As a short-day cultivation plant was (SDP), carried wild out. type chrysanthemum flowers in autumn under natural conditions.Chrysanthemum In other words, is one chrysanthemum of the most important flowers cu whent flowers night and length has the exceeds highest a consumption critical dark in period. the world. As a short-day plant (SDP), wild type chrysanthemum flowers in autumn under natural By interrupting the dark period by a brief light treatment through “night break” (NB), flowering in SDPs conditions. In other words, chrysanthemum flowers when night length exceeds a critical dark is prevented.period. By This interrupting method of the farming dark period helps chrysanthemumby a brief light treatment flowers bloom through on “night specific break” days with(NB), bulky flowers,flowering beautiful in SDPs petals, is prevented. while being This able method to be of sold farming at higher helps prices.chrysanthemum Previously, flowers in order bloom to on inhibit earlyspecific flowering, days forwith example bulky flowers, from autumn beautiful to winter,petals, while chrysanthemum being able to growersbe sold at applied higher NBprices. lighting by usingPreviously, incandescent in order (INC)to inhibit bulbs. early However, flowering, thefor example use of incandescent from autumn bulbsto winter, prevents chrysanthemum flowering and consumesgrowers a lot applied of electricity NB lighting because by using of its incandescent very low electrical (INC) bulbs. to light However, energy the transformation use of incandescent efficiency. Currently,bulbs prevents to save energy,flowering flower and consumes planters havea lot of shifted electricity to using because compact of its very fluorescent low electrical lamps to (CFLs).light Daenergy Lat Citytransformation (Vietnam) efficiency. has approximately Currently, 2500to sa have forenergy, the cultivation flower planters of various have shifted types ofto daisiesusing and chrysanthemums.compact fluorescent Every lamps year, (CFLs). the gardeners use 20–25 W CFLs for lighting at an average density rate of Da Lat City (Vietnam) has approximately 2500 ha for the cultivation of various types of daisies 1000 CFLs/ha, at a frequency of about 4–6 lighting hours per night, 35 nights per harvest and 4 harvests and chrysanthemums. Every year, the gardeners use 20–25 W CFLs for lighting at an average per year.density Therefore, rate of 1000 the total CFLs/ha, power at consumptiona frequency of across about the 4–6 region lighting is abouthours 29–47per night, million 35 nights kilowatt per hours per yearharvest with and a monetary4 harvests valueper year. of electricityTherefore, atthe about total power VND 35–66consumption billion across per year, the equivalentregion is about to about USD29–47 1.5–2.8 million million kilowatt per year hours (assuming per year thewith 2019 a monetary electricity value price of and electricity the Vietnam at about dong VND (VND) 35–66/ USD exchangebillion rate per are year,VND equivalent 1200/kWh, to about and USD23,000, 1.5–2.8 respectively). million per Therefore,year (assuming many the farmers 2019 electricitywho produce ≈ ≈ chrysanthemumprice and the cuttings Vietnam in greenhousesdong (VND)/USD in Da exchange Lat City andrate surroundingare ≈ VND 1200/kWh, areas, have and boldly ≈23,000, replaced the compactrespectively). lamp Therefore, lighting systems many farmers with H-LED who prod lighting.uce chrysanthemum The test results cuttings from in using greenhouses 5 W–10 in W Da H-LED lightsLat on City some and acreage surrounding of Da areas, Lat chrysanthemum have boldly repl farmsaced the shows compact that lamp the chrysanthemumlighting systems with absorbs H- the light,LED which lighting. controls The flowering test results well, from saving using up 5 toW–10 half theW H-LED energy lights costs comparedon some acreage to the useof Da of 20–25Lat W chrysanthemum farms shows that the chrysanthemum absorbs the light, which controls flowering compact fluorescent light. well, saving up to half the energy costs compared to the use of 20–25 W compact fluorescent light. As seenAs seen in Figure in Figure1, the 1, the nonilluminated nonilluminated chrysanthemum chrysanthemum bed bed flowered flowered well well after after 40 days 40 days and and was harvestedwas harvested after after 68 days68 days of of growth. growth. Meanwhile,Meanwhile, the the illuminated illuminated chrysanthemum chrysanthemum bed beddid not did not flowerflower after after 40 40 days days and and was was harvested only only after after 100 100days days of growing. of growing. In addition, In addition, the height theof the height of thechrysanthemum chrysanthemum plants plants when when illuminated illuminated was wassupe superiorrior to that to thatwhen when it was it wasnot illuminated. not illuminated. ComparedCompared to the to case the usingcase using CFL lamps, CFL lamps, the height the he ofight chrysanthemum of chrysanthemum plants plants and the and flower the dimensionsflower weredimensions higher and were larger higher