Grow Lights Cuts Costs for Cannabis

 Lighting systems manufacturer California LightWorks introduced this month a new professional grow light system that reduces both upfront and long-term operating costs for cannabis and other indoor growers.

The Canoga Park company’s new product is MegaDrive, which removes LED drivers from individual light fixtures and eliminates the need for electrical power connections throughout a greenhouse or grow room. The feature also reduces costs.

Chief Executive George Mekhtarian said that having research, development and manufacturing in the U.S. allows the company to deliver new lighting technology faster than its competitors.

“The new MegaDrive is yet another example of our commitment to maintaining our lead in this industry,” Mekhtarian said in a statement.

The MegaDrive consists of a large central power unit connected to a series of up to 30 LED fixtures in a chain.  High voltage three phase power can connect directly to the central power unit, eliminating power drops to each fixture.  In addition, all the lights can be centrally controlled from the power unit.  The result is up to 80 percent less installation cost and 30 percent less upfront fixture cost, the company said.California Lightworks was founded in 2008 to develop and manufacture lights for indoor horticulture. More than four years, ago it began to develop LED lights specifically for the cannabis market.

LED lights are considered superior to incandescent or fluorescent bulbs because they use less power, generate less heat and can last from 80,000 to 100,000 hours. Marijuana growers have long used high-intensity discharge lighting in their operations, but the output can deteriorate by about 70 percent after about 10,000 hours.

The advantage of LED lights is that the light spectrum can be customized for enhanced photosynthesis.

Wesley Williams, vice president of operation at Exotics Cultivation in Lompoc, said that the grow facility has replaced its outdated high-pressure sodium vapor lighting system with the MegaDrive and was able to double its canopy space with almost no increase in power and heat.

“We completed the whole installation in half a day with no additional electrical work,” Williams said in a statement. “The plant response to these new lights has been incredible, far exceeding any other LED lights we tested.”