Could LEDs Be The Answer To Growing Crops In Space?

So, as you might already be aware, LED light panels are already touted as the next big thing on the internet – providing superfast connections through new Li-Fi technology – but a new study has found that it could be even more revolutionary to our lives in the future.

The research, led by the University of Arizona, aimed to test the most energy-efficient ways to grow food in space for the purposes of feeding astronauts on long voyages to the planet Mars and beyond. Their research, reported by Phys.org,  found that creating a ‘lunar greenhouse’ using LED lighting not only increased the amount of lettuce that they were able to grow, but also worked out more energy efficient than other tested methods.

Gene Giacomelli, director at the university’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, said: “Findings from this study are critical in that not only can it be applied to growing food in space but can be applied to farming techniques in places where there is a shortage of water and good agricultural land right here on this planet.”

That means not only does this research give an answer to providing sustainable food sources in space, but also in the most extreme conditions here on earth. From deserts to the arctic tundra, this method could be used to grow food as energy efficiently as possible in small confined spaces.

The method behind this kind of agricultural production could be very important in the future of space travel, as well as revolutionising food production here on earth – just remember where you heard it first!