In this blog we are comparing HortiPower tissue culture with GE's fixture: ARIZE™ Life Medium Output GE LED Grow Lights Kit.
HortiPower is US$360 per 6 Meter shelf for setup (vs US$675 with GE). Resulting in a 55% higher µmol/$ and more flexibility.
GE has various types of this fixture, let's look at the first 4ft. fixture (GEHL48MPKR1) :
| Information | Hortipower | GE |
| Price* | 60 USD | 135 USD |
| Type | Batten | Batten |
| Power consumption | 20W | 16.4W |
| Light output | 38 µmol | 37.9 µmol |
| Light output per meter | 38 µmol | 31 µmol |
| µmol/$ | 0.63 | 0.28 |
| Efficiency (µmol/J) | 1.9 | 2.3 |
| Spectrum | RGBWFR | fixed |
| Dimmable | Yes | Yes |
| Flexible spectrum | Yes | No |
| Lifetime | 50.000 | 36.000 |
* Pricing retrieved from Hort Americas at 12 May 2020.
Initial investment
HortiPower will cost 60 USD, for 6 meter it will be 360 USD. With GE it will cost 135 USD per fixture, for 6 meter it will require 5 fixtures total investment 675 USD. A lower initial investment will get you a faster payback period.
Light output
HortiPower will give you 38 µmol, GE is almost the same, but it is a 4ft (1.2meter fixture). This means the µmol per meter is only 31. If it is installed at a 30cm distance the micromole that actually reaches the tissue can drop even more. This may require you to install extra fixtures on the same shelf to maintain a good µmol level.
µmol/$
You might want to look at µmol/$ as well. This metric shows how much plant-centric lighting you get for one dollar spend. In this case GE delivers 0.28 µmol per dollar. HortiPower will give your 0.63 µmol per dollar.
µmol/J
This metric shows how energy efficient a fixture is. DesignLights consortium in the USA recommends 1.9 µmol/J. HortiPower has 1.9 µmol/J, GE has 2.3 µmol/J.
Spectrum
GE has no flexible spectrums and offers 3 fixed spectrums.
The first one is called "Reproductive" which has a higher red content to promote flowering and fruit generation. GE also has "Vegetative" spectrum, which contains a higher blue content to promote healthy and thick leafy plants. The "Balanced" spectrum has balanced the red to blue ratio for overall growth.
With this approach you would need to make the right decision when installing and there is no way to optimise over time or adapt to a new variety or growth goal
The HortiPower tissue culture fixture is flexible. So you can adjust the individual levels or Red, Blue, White, Green and Far Red. This allows you to use recommended spectrums or improve spectrums based on your observations or the latest scientific insights.
Lifetime
Last but not least, GE fixtures have a lifetime of 36.000 hours. HortiPower fixtures have a lifetime of 50.000 hours. If ROI is important for your organization you are better off in using a longer lasting fixture.
Summary
- HortiPower will cost 360 USD. GE will cost 675 USD.
-The µmol per $ is 0.63 with HortiPower and 0.28 with GE.
- HortiPower allows you to change spectrum and intensity anytime. With GE you are forced to choose the right spectrum at the beginning.\
- The HortiPower LEDs have a lifetime of 50.000 hours. GE LEDs have a lifetime of 36.000 hours.
Learn how to start at 1/3 of the costs