FACILITY/GROWER: Planet 13 / Medizin Las Vegas
PROJECT: HID vs. Dragon Alpha (LED)
DATE: Q4 – 2021
PROJECT MANAGER: Chris Wren, VP of Operations
GOAL: To assess the ability of Scynce LEDs lights to achieve an increased yield, both in weight and in
quality as traditional HPS with a historically known strain.
Stage: Full cycle flower – LED
Lights: 24 Dragon Alphas (600 watts)
Canopy Size: 210 sq ft
Hanging Height over canopy: 30 inches
Intensity Setting: Variable
Cultivar: GMO
Spectrum: Combo recipe with sunrise/sunset
Co2 Levels: 900 +/- 100
Wattage: 14,400 watts total
Cycle Time: 73 days in flower
Stage: Full cycle flower – HPS/LEC
Lights: 8 HPS (1,000w) and 20 (315w) LEC
Canopy Size: 210 sq ft
Hanging Height over canopy: 36 inches
Intensity Setting: 100% with sunrise & sunset
Cultivar: GMO
Spectrum: LEC + HPS
Co2 Levels: 900 +/- 100
Wattage: 14,300 watts total
Cycle Time: 73 days in flower
Overview: Large, indoor, top shelf cannabis producer running side-by-side comparisons of LEDs
versus standard High Pressure Sodium (HPS) fixtures. They have used a notoriously long
running strain, GMO (Girl Scout Cookies x ChemDawg), to test out the LED yields and quality.
Each room was isolated with individual environmental and nutrient controls and ran the same
ideal leaf temperature and humidity for cannabis growth under HPS or LEDs respectively.
| DRY WEIGHTS | Sellable Flower * | Trim | Waste | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HPS | 26.78 lbs. | 6.59 lbs. | 4.53 lbs. | 37.9 lbs. |
| (percentage of TOTAL) | 70.65% | 17.38% | 11.95% | |
| (grams per sq. ft.) | 57.84 grams/sf | 14.23 grams/sf | 9.78 grams/sf | 81.85 grams/sf |
| LED | 45.24 lbs. | 19.22 lbs. | 6.47 lbs. | 70.93 lbs. |
| (percentage of TOTAL) | 63.78% | 27.09% | 9.12% | |
| (grams per sq. ft.) | 97.71 grams/sf | 41.51 grams/sf | 13.97 grams/sf | 153.19 grams/sf |
The average price for a pound of indoor flower in Nevada right now averages from $1,800 to
$2,200 per pound of flower. Given the high quality of the final product and based on historical
sales, we used a price of $2,000 a pound. The price for trim is a little less straightforward in
regards to determining a price per pound. Because of the multiple input/output variables and a
wide ranging value of $200 – $500 per pound, we used a price of $250 per pound.
| MARKET VALUE | HPS | LED |
|---|---|---|
| Sellable Flower | $53,560 | $90,480 |
| Trim | $1,647 | $4,805 |
| TOTAL | $55,207 | $95,285 |
One additional discussion point is in regards to the spectrum and corresponding light recipe
used in the LED light vs. the HPS light. The HPS light was on at 100% for twelve hours each
day. Meaning that its energy use was 192Kw per day. The LED light was running Scynce’s
“Combo Recipe” that utilizes a sunrise, sunset and isolated far at the end of the day. This
reduced the energy consumption by an additional 9%, bringing the total energy use (for the LED
room) to 131Kw per day.
| ENERGY CONSUMPTION | HPS | LED |
|---|---|---|
| Total Kw Hours Per Day | 168 | 150.7 |
| Average cost per hour | $0.08 | $0.08 |
| Total cost per day | $13.44 | $12.05 |
| Total cost per 8.5 week cycle | $806.40 | $723.34 |
CONCLUSION: The Dragon Alpha LED light by Scynce LED outperformed traditional HPS lighting in the following ways:
- 69% increase in Sellable Flower, for a total of 97.7g/sf, and a 192% increase in Trim
- $40,000 increase in market value per cycle, or $1,739 per light per cycle
- 10.3% energy savings (plus an unquantified savings from running the dehumidifiers and A/C units for significantly less time each day in the LED room)
- ROI on investment into Scynce LED Dragon Alpha lights was <60 days (one cycle)
- Photon Conversion Efficiency (grams per mol): LED (Dragon Alpha) = 24.44 and HPS = 13.52
What is the definition of “combo recipe”?
This is a recipe designed for flowering.
It has a 15 minute cryptochrome activation (pushing the spectrum 100% cool) to start the day. Then a 45 minute ramp (sunrise) to full power flower settings, that runs the bulk of the day. Then a 45 minute ramp down (sunset) to a full 730nm only phytochrome activation for the last 15 minutes of the day before the light turns off.
It can be found in our recommended recipes section on the app under “Activating” and works on the Kush II and Dragon Alpha lights.