Utility companies offer flexible electricity rates depending on the time of day to reduce demand at peak hours. That way, consumers can save some money, say, by using the dishwasher or tumble dryer at night. And the utilities avoid the need for massive investment into power plants to keep up with peak demand.
Now, if this works with your laundry, there is no reason it should not work with indoor agriculture and make leafy greens cheaper, too. If you grow lettuce at night, it is still the same lettuce, right? Skoltech researchers decided to find out by running a monthlong experiment in model greenhouses and vertical farms called phytotrons.
Their paper in Applied Energy concludes that by tinkering with the artificial lighting schedule, it is possible to reduce the associated electricity bills by almost a quarter. And the lettuce is fine.
The climate in many countries makes greenhouses the ultimate mode of vegetable farming, not just for temperature reasons, but also because there is not enough natural light. So if farmers rely on electric lights anyway, why not switch them on during the utility's happy hours?
Read more at phys.org