Issue link: https://te.mouser.com/i/1475713
28 Connected LED Lighting Solutions Introduction I ndoor horticulture is widely seen as a way to ensure adequate food supply, nutrition, and health for an ever-growing world population [1,2]. It has been demonstrated that the light quality/ color significantly impacts the productivity and even quality of crops grown indoors [3]. Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting and controls can be used to enable greater energy efficiency, controllability, and quality to indoor horticulture installations compared to traditional high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting solutions. Moreover, the modularity and configurability of modern LED grow lighting solutions can be optimized for specific plant species in various stages of their life cycle. This article aims to educate readers on the viability and benefits of LED lighting for indoor horticulture and how traditional alternating current (AC) lighting differs from LED lighting in terms of form, function, and interconnection. Solving Indoor Horticulture Lighting Challenges Feeding growing and increasingly urbanized populations requires much greater food crop density. The environmental impact of shipping crops and crop-based products from distant places to urban centers is inflating. Cultivating crops indoors or in controlled environments is becoming increasingly common around the globe, as government agencies enact regulations to reduce the environmental impact of traditional farming methods and the use of chemical fertilizers, excessive water use, and chemical pesticides. Several sources predict massive growth in the horticulture lighting markets, which is directly tied to government initiatives and trends toward indoor, vertical, hydroponic greenhouses, and compact gardening systems [1,2]. However, the lighting needs to reach optimal crop quality, and growth rate varies significantly between Advances In LED-lighting Enable Futuristic Indoor Farming Methods Jean-Jacques DeLisle, Mouser Electronics The Farming Method of the Future