CONTACT INFORMATION Contact Name: Dr Monica Saavedra E-mail: Monica@lambda.energy Website: https://www.lambda.energy Funding required: £550,000 Already raised: £190,000
greenhouse materials, or by applying them in a paint-based spray-on coating. Our first field tests at Cranfield University yielded a 9.3% increase in the yield (dry mass) of Basil. THE SOLUTION The novel technology: 1) reduces greenhouse reliance on artificial lighting, leading to 25% lower energy consumption and consequently an annual reduction of CO2 emissions by 20,000 tons. This reduces OPEX for growers and in turn reduces the cost of fruits and vegetables, enabling healthier diets. 2) increases crop yields by circa 20%, decreasing food costs, increasing food- security and profitability for growers. Increase in food production enables decreased land use, limiting deforestation, underground waterways depletion etc. Increased crop yields will lead to a reduction in the amount of plastic and glass required and the emissions associated with plastic and glass siding production. 3) decreases greenhouse temperatures making the produce more resilient to global-warming and hot countries, thereby increasing food- security. Heat reduction also reduces the amount of CO 2 pumped into a greenhouse (and therefore the associated electricity and carbon footprint) due to a decreased reliance on greenhouse venting. 4) increases the wettability of the greenhouse sidings, enabling self-cleaning of the surfaces by guiding dirt to the edges, reducing the frequency of greenhouse cleaning. 5) increases the adaptability of the plants to their environment, enabling local food production, reducing the reliance on imported food and cutting emissions associated with international transportation.
ELEVATOR PITCH Light Management - better light for plants and other applications. Our materials absorb short-wavelength light and re-emit at longer wavelengths. The first, and most prominent, application is in protected agriculture (greenhouses, polytunnels), where the increase in red light leads to a significant increase in crop yield, without the need for electricity. THE PROBLEM Food shortages are, unfortunately, becoming a problem even in industrialised nations, such as the UK. Part of the problem is our dependence on food imports, made necessary by our inability to grow enough food crops domestically in an economically viable fashion. Protected growing environments (greenhouses and polytunnels) require, aside from high CAPEX, high OPEX. The biggest factor in the latter is the cost of electricity for the LED lighting that provides enough red light for optimal crop yields. Lambda’s technology converts incoming sunlight to have a higher proportion of red light, making it a cost-saving alternative / supplement to LED lighting. Aside from the wavelength change, our materials also help scatter the incoming light, which is another proven way of increasing crop yields. We can employ our materials in or on all commonly used greenhouse panelling materials, including glass, polycarbonate, and PMMA, either by direct incorporation into the top layers of the
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