Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs
Isn’t sunlight the best for plants?
What makes Sherpa Space Inc. Different?
Do I need to purchase different lights for different plants?
Which plants do you optimize for?
Is sunlight the best for plants?
Sunlight’s wavelength distribution is very evenly distributed throughout.
It’s a good start for most plants but has room for improvement.
Sunlight may not be enough…
Sunlight has a broad spectrum of light. But not all light colours are equally crucial for plant growth. Therefore, artificial lights are now generally designed to provide a light spectrum that plants relish. For this purpose, an adjustable combination of narrow-band light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is often used to provide different plants with their preferred light components at different growth stages based on their specific needs.
Different plants need different lights…
Growth and morphogenesis (quite literally, “beginning of the shape”) is affected by light conditions such as intensity, photoperiod, and quality. By adjusting the combination of the light spectrum, it is possible to promote growth, flowering, leaf quality, and the concentration of functional chemicals in plants.
Plants absorb radiation and convert CO₂ uptake and water into oxygen and glucose. The amount of absorption in each wavelength depends on the plant's cellular structure and differs from species to species. Also, the light intensities are different for various types of crops.
The light wavelengths in the plants need also depend on the growth stage.
Much like how a baby first needs breastfeeding and later switches to solid foods, plants also need different lights and nutrition at different growth stages for maximum growth. For instance, flowering can be promoted in many crops by changing the wavelength given to a plant.
Potential for Customization…
Flexibility in lighting provides an opportunity for customizing growth. Also, customized light can help manipulate plant morphology in environmentally friendly ways.
What Makes Sherpa Space Different?
Sherpa Space’s unique competitive advantage lies in our ability to convert light wavelengths with minimal energy loss. Using quantum dot technology, we can provide lights of specific wavelengths optimized not only for each plant but also for each growth stage. As a result, we maximize crops’ nutrient compositions and productivity.
Sherpa Space’s technology is vastly superior to our main competitors because we are not limited to any single-wavelength, LED-generated lights. For peak growth and nutrient content, plants need a much more diverse and dynamic spectrum of wavelengths than any combination of LED lights can offer. Only Sherpa Space can provide what the plants truly need at every moment.
which plants do you optimize for?
Currently, we are focused primarily on high-value plants such as strawberries. We plan to gradually expand our scope to include other crops in the future as well.