Smart Greenhouses Reduce Electricity Costs By Predicting Weather And Light

University of Georgia biologist Marc van Iersel among turnip plants in a grow room at his greenhouses, where he experimented with ways of lowering electricity costs by predicting plants' requirements for light based on the time of year. (Andrew Davis Tucker/University of Georgia)

A predictive lighting control system, connected to the internet, can predict sunlight and run electric lights in greenhouses in a way that will sharply reduce operators’ electric bills.

Researchers at the University of Georgia have published a study in the journal Plants that offers farmers a way to use electric lights only when needed and thus reduce costs by as much as 33 percent.