User:Sublimeharmony/sandbox11
| Industry | LED-based lighting |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Gothenburg, Sweden |
Key people | Sylvain Dubé, Staffan Hillberg |
| Products | LED lamp systems |
| Website | http://www.heliospectra.com |
Heliospectra is a Swedish-based company that creates advanced lighting systems for cultivating plants. (ES)(ST) The company is recognized for developing LED-based lighting that reduces energy consumption in greenhouses by as much as 50 percent, and it has won several awards for its products, including the WWF Climate Solver Award for efficient greenhouse lighting. (WWF) (ETN) Since its founding in 2006, Heliospectra has raised over $8 million in venture funding.(CB)(UL)
Heliospectra’s lighting system is centered around “intelligent” LED lamps, which save power while facilitating optimal plant growth. (CIO)(NYT) The company’s lamps are more energy efficient than the high pressure sodium lamps that are traditionally used in greenhouses.(CIO)(NYT)
Heliospectra is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the company shares an office with the Swedish Institute for Food and Technology, which promotes the development of the food industry in Sweden. (IN)(ES)(UQ) As of early 2013, Heliospectra’s lighting technology was being tested on a large scale by Swedeponic, Europe’s largest provider of fresh herbs. (NYT2)
History
Heliospectra was founded in 2006 by Sylvain Dubé at the Espira Incubator in Borås, Sweden. (MND) The concept for the company stemmed from extensive research conducted into UV light, photosynthesis, and other aspects of plant biology by a team of plant scientist and engineers. (FIN)(IN)(HS) As of 2013, Heliospectra is ran by its current CEO, Staffan Hillberg (IN).
In 2011, Heliospectra raised $4.48 million in venture funding to create its lighting system. (CB) Industrifonden, a venture fund allocated by the Swedish government, awarded $1.5 million to the company, and Midroc New Technology invested an additional $1.5 million. (UL)(NG2)(NG)
In January 2013, the company announced it was seeking $2 million in additional funding. (ST) Through its US subsidiary, RADIANT LED Systems, Inc., its lighting technology was promoted to environmentally conscious businesses growing cannabis in Washington after the state’s legalization of the plant in 2012. (ST)(RA)
Product
Heliospectra light arrays consist of assemblies of hundreds of tiny LEDs spanning seven wavelengths, with each wavelength able to be controlled autonomously. Research has been conducted in both lab and production environments to give plants the optimal amount and quality of light they need, and results show it is possible to increase growth rates by up to 30 percent. (OE) (CLL)(ETN)(NYT) The lamps also target photosynthetic receptors in plants with specific wavelengths, and the lighting can affect the taste of plants grown under them. (CIO)(NYT)(OE)(HS)
Heliospectra has a patented lighting system that can be integrated into research labs and greenhouses. (IN) The High Brightness Light Emitting Diode (LED) system can reduce up to 50% of energy consumption without sacrificing the quality of the plant. (CT) Automatic programming and other software features give plant growers more control over the growth rate of their crops, and intensity and illumination times can be remotely controlled. (OE)(ETN)
Heliospectra currently has two LED lamp systems, the L4A Series 1 and L4A Series 10. The L4A Series1 debuted during 2012, and the L4A Series 10 was officially launched in February 2013 (HB)(FCI)(LP). The light systems are operated via a web-based user-interface controller (WUI). The Series 1 and Series 10 LED lamp systems are considered to be research instruments for plant scientists to aid in discoveries within the field (HB)(FCI)(LP).