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DLC Updates its Technical Requirements for LED-Based Horticultural Lighting

William Attardi on March 14, 2025

A new version of the DesignLights Consortium’s (DLC) Horticultural Lighting Technical Requirements released today strengthens efforts to improve the efficacy and quality of LED products used in the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry. Taking effect April 18, 2025, the DLC’s new requirements come at a time of burgeoning growth in the CEA sector. Valued at $7.8 billion last year, the global CEA market is expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 12.2 percent and expected to reach $22 billion by 2033, according to a February 2025 market research report. With lighting being the largest operational expense in CEA facilities, there are significant opportunities to increase energy efficiency and cost savings with the right lights. [News] DesignLights Consortium Updates its Technical Requirements for LED-Based Horticultural Lighting – LEDinside

Sollum Technologies and Leaficient Introduce the First Plan-Responsive Dynamic LED Lighting Solution

William Attardi on March 8, 2025

Sollum Technologies and Leaficient are pioneering a breakthrough technology that redefines how LED lighting adapts to plant growth. Today’s traditional lighting strategies rely on Daily Light Integral (DLI) as the primary metric for optimizing plant growth, based on the premise that plants absorb and use light with the same efficiency throughout the day and at all growth stages. However, recent research has shown that plant productivity can change significantly based on a myriad of factors relating to the environment, resources provided and internal biological processes. In response, Sollum and Leaficient are collaborating to develop the first closed-loop, plant-adaptive dynamic lighting system, which adjusts lighting in real time based on plant productivity and growth rates.  [News] Sollum Technologies and Leaficient Introduce the First Plan-Responsive Dynamic LED Lighting Solution – LEDinside

Remembering the Solemn Purpose of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday in May to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. The holiday traces its roots to the years immediately following the American Civil War (1861–1865), which caused massive casualties—roughly 620,000 soldiers dead, about 2% of the U.S. population at the time. Communities across the North and South began spontaneously decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags, a practice that gave rise to the original name: Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, Major General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—a powerful Union veterans’ organization—issued General Order No. 11. This proclaimed May 30, 1868, as a nationwide “Decoration Day” to honor those who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday expanded to honor all American service members who died in any war, not just the Civil War.  In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create more three-day weekends for federal employees. This moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May, effective in 1971, when it was also officially named “Memorial Day.” As one 1868 quote put it: “That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.”