News Lighting
Allegro Acres to expand greenhouse pepper acreage under LEDs

Allegro Acres is expanding its acreage of LED-lit greenhouse peppers from four to 12 acres for winter production.

The first of its kind to take place on a commercial-scale in Canada, the initial four acres of greenhouse LEDs were installed in 2020 and produced a successful crop of peppers this past winter.

According to the President of Allegro Acres, Gene Ingratta, Allegro will be installing additional LEDs this summer, in time for use in early October. Allegro will also be implementing light abatement measures to comply with greenhouse lighting bylaws announced in the municipality late last year, as well as a high pressure misting system to help control temperature and humidity.

LED supplier for the project, Sollum Technologies, says their cloud-based SUN as a Service platform allowed flexibility in experimenting with different light recipes, comparing yields and determining the best settings for production.

“Not only can we personalize the recipe, we can adjust our greenhouse lighting in real-time according to climate conditions and our observations of crop growth,” notes Ingratta in the release. “By annualizing our pepper production, we realized that the possibilities afforded by Sollum’s technology are a gamechanger for us. We look forward to increasing our production thanks to technology made in Canada, which will enable us to supply Canadians with fresh, locally grown peppers year-round. These are exciting times for Allegro.”

The Allegro Acres expansion represents a significant milestone for Quebec-based Sollum Technologies.

Photo courtesy of Allegro Acres.

“That Allegro Acres decided to increase the deployment of our technology after this winter’s first crops is a strong vote of confidence,” says Sollum CEO, Louis Brun. “Sollum’s approach and its smart LED lighting solution are unique, so it has been tremendous to work closely with Allegro and leverage their full potential at scale. We are proud to be contributing to the de-seasonalization of production and this announcement is a big step toward the adoption of more sustainable food production practices. It contributes to increasing Canadian food autonomy and promotes local economies.”

This project is supported through the Greenhouse Competitiveness and Innovation Initiative, a cost-share program funded by the Ontario Government and delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council, on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).

With files from Sollum Technologies