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Heliohex and Cornell University Collaborate to Research Better LED Lighting for Plants

February 14, 2018

Heliohex, a New York State-based designer and manufacturer of unique LED lighting for horticulture based at CenterState CEO’s The Tech Garden, recently teamed up with Cornell University’s Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) research team to optimize the production of commercial crops. The partnership, created through New York State’s Jumpstart Research Grant, focuses on light uniformity flaws and new opportunities for indoor farms and greenhouses. Their most recent findings emphasized the potential for new LED lighting solutions to achieve light uniformity improvements which ultimately increases plant growth and a grower’s production.  ​
“I am thrilled to be working alongside Cornell University and am very impressed and encouraged by the research that’s impacting crops in Central New York and beyond,” said Adam Milam, CEO of Heliohex. “With the help from local universities and partners like CenterState CEO our company has been able to grow from an idea to the technological advances we see today.”

Heliohex’s strategy is to design and create cutting edge and more energy efficient LED lighting for horticulture use in New York State. It is committed to reducing power consumption and increasing crop yield in greenhouses and indoor farms producing fruits, vegetables, and niche high value crops.

Cornell’s CEA research group focuses on developing methods to understand and enhance the sustainability of plant production in indoor growing environments to support commercial production for local food systems. Dr. Kale Harbick, a research associate in the Horticulture Section of Cornell University, worked closely with Heliohex on this cutting-edge research.

Cornell CEA leads the Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering (GLASE) consortium funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which works to dramatically reduce electricity use in lighting of greenhouse crops.

To learn more about this ongoing research visit www.heliohex.com or http://glase.cals.cornell.edu/

About The Clean Tech Center
The Clean Tech Center, an incubator program of The Tech Garden of CenterState CEO, is a NYSERDA-funded initiative focused on developing clean technology companies in Upstate New York by providing proof of concept grants and other funding guidance for early-stage companies.

About Grants for Growth
Grants for Growth is an innovative funding program that selectively and competitively awards applications in two funding tracks; $25,000 and $150,000 awards are made based on the technical and commercial maturity of the application. Grants for Growth is funded by Empire State Development and championed by Senator John DeFrancisco.

About CenterState CEO
CenterState CEO is a regional business leadership organization, chamber of commerce, and economic development strategist, based in Syracuse, New York.  We represent members of all sizes and serve as the primary business resource and catalyst for development in a twelve-county area.  We advocate for smart business, facilitate regional growth and promote community prosperity through results-driven partnerships, planning and problem solving.  www.centerstateceo.com

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