DC in greenhouse horticulture?
Will DC (direct current) come to greenhouse horticulture or not? What’s the situation at your enterprise? You probably won’t lose any sleep over it, but I am increasingly being asked if there will be a transition to DC power.
My name is Cor-Hein Slobbe, Senior Product Manager at Isolectra and active in the world of electrical engineering for more than 40 years. The change to DC is one of the biggest changes I have seen in the world of electrical engineering. And I’m sure it will change quickly...
You may not always be aware of it, but major changes are also in store for you. Just look around you. Almost all devices we use need DC and are equipped with an adapter for the wall socket. This converts AC (alternating current) to DC (direct current). The electric car has become a regular feature of everyday life. And what about power generation with solar panels, all DC-based. Transferring from DC to AC and vice versa causes a lot of energy loss. Therefore, continuing with AC is not sufficiently sustainable and does not contribute to our international environmental goals. In the future, generation based on DC and storage of this generated energy will be a key issue. After all, the sun will not be shining any more than it already does, nor will the wind blow harder when we need more energy.
An energy transition is therefore necessary, but how do you tackle it on a large scale? For your home, business, village or even the whole country? And how do you get the energy to where it is needed? No shortage of questions.
For the network, the switch to DC is a major change. The requirements change, and energy has to be stored locally, so that sufficient energy is available in the evening and at night. Will that happen all at once? No, definitely not, it will have to be done gradually.
Who is going to organise all this? Already more is happening than you might think. NEN1010 – the Dutch standard for low-voltage installations – will soon publish an updated version with extensive focus on DC systems. LED lighting (= DC system) is also being used more and more in greenhouse horticulture. Many market gardeners opt for a gradual transition from HPS to LED in which a combination of both systems (so-called hybrid systems) is used.
At Isolectra, we have already helped many customers with this shift. We have various products for making existing AC installations suitable for LED lighting.
DC in greenhouse horticulture – but when? Whenever you’re ready for it! We are ready to help.
Find out more? Then contact us