LED vs HPS Greenhouse Lighting
Supplemental lighting is now one of the largest lifetime OPEX line items in high-tech greenhouses. LED has overtaken HPS on efficacy and lifetime — but HPS still wins on heat contribution and CAPEX in some scenarios.
LED horticultural fixtures
Full-spectrum or targeted-spectrum top and inter-lighting fixtures, 3.0–4.0 µmol/J photon efficacy, 35,000–50,000 h life.
Advantages
- 2× the light per kWh compared to HPS at 2025 efficacy levels
- Very low radiant heat — better for hot climates and inter-lighting
- Dimmable and spectrum-tunable for crop-recipe control
Limitations
- 2–3× the CAPEX per fixture vs HPS
- Requires cooler crops or added heating in cold climates
- Driver/electronics replacement over the fixture lifetime
- CAPEX:
- €35–70/m² for 200 µmol/m²/s top lighting
- OPEX:
- ≈ 50% of HPS electricity for the same DLI
- Best for:
- Warm climates, high electricity price, inter-lighting, cannabis, tomato high-wire
HPS (high-pressure sodium)
Mature 600–1,000 W double-ended HPS with 1.6–2.1 µmol/J efficacy, 10,000–20,000 h life.
Advantages
- Lowest CAPEX per installed µmol
- Radiant heat contributes to greenhouse heating in cold climates
- Simple electrical infrastructure — well understood by installers
Limitations
- Roughly 2× the electricity cost per DLI vs modern LED
- Bulb replacement every 1–2 crop cycles
- Heat load is a liability in warm climates and inter-lighting
- CAPEX:
- €15–30/m² for 200 µmol/m²/s top lighting
- OPEX:
- Higher electricity, higher lamp replacement
- Best for:
- Cold climates with cheap electricity, short-term projects, existing HPS retrofits
Our verdict
For new commercial projects in 2025 and beyond, LED wins on 10-year TCO for almost every crop and climate. HPS still makes sense as a bridge in cold climates where its heat contribution offsets a real heating bill and where CAPEX is heavily constrained.
Independent guidance from a human-led sourcing platform — we do not resell equipment. Ranges are indicative and shift with project size, geography and financing structure.
FAQ
- How do I compare LED vendors fairly?
- Ask every vendor for photon efficacy (µmol/J) at the fixture, warranted L90 and B10 life, spectrum, and third-party photometric files. Two fixtures with the same wattage can differ by 30–40% on delivered PAR.
- What DLI target should I plan for?
- Tomato and cannabis typically target 20–30 mol/m²/day, cucumber 15–25, leafy greens 12–17. Supplemental lighting is sized to close the gap between natural DLI at your site and the crop target — over the darkest months, not the annual average.
- Does LED reduce my heating load?
- Yes. Replacing HPS with LED at the same PAR cuts fixture heat output significantly. In cold climates this can add €5–15/m²/yr to heating cost — which is why we compare TCO, not just electricity.
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