Sollum green lights a $14M solution demonstration project

In 2020, Sollum Technologies first received $5.25M in funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) to begin testing Sollum's unique smart LED grow light solution for greenhouse pepper production. Building on their groundbreaking success using dynamic lighting to grow Canada's first commercial crop of winter peppers, Sollum™ now enters the second phase of funding with SDTC receiving $2.5M from them to jumpstart a demonstration project valued at $14M to highlight the lighting solution's benefits for the production of greenhouse tomatoes with partners SAVOURA Group, Prism Farms and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Harrow Research and Development Centre (Harrow RDC).

SDTC's mission is to fund companies that offer clean tech solutions that exemplify the principles of sustainable development. With the help of SDTC, businesses like Sollum can accelerate their success in competitive markets and ensure the wealth of clean tech jobs across Canada. The economic prosperity created by SDTC is matched by their environmental contributions with estimated reductions of 22.4 megatonnes in emissions annually, thanks to SDTC-funded companies. 

Sollum's dynamic LED grow light solution offers a proven method of improving greenhouse sustainability. By dynamically recreating and modulating the full spectrum of the Sun's natural light, and by automatically compensating for changes in the ambient light spectrum and intensity, Sollum's LED light fixtures contribute to optimizing plant growth conditions and greenhouse energy efficiency. Partners SAVOURA Group and Prism Farms, both specializing in greenhouse tomato production in Québec and Ontario, respectively, will host demonstrations in dynamic greenhouse lighting and further put Sollum's unique sustainable solution to the test. Recent research conducted at Harrow RDC, which includes Sollum's sustainable solution in some of its projects, will propel Sollum as a company backed by data, leading science, diverse partnerships, and environmentally responsible innovation. Each of the greenhouse operating partners will demonstrate dynamic lighting on one hectare of growing space while Harrow RDC will be expanding their collection of Sollum light fixtures for research on top of what they implemented during the SDTC phase one funding. As was done with the greenhouse pepper project, new light spectra and photoperiod protocols developed and researched by Harrow RDC will be easily made available to the public via published data which will support SAVOURA Group and Prism Farms via the SUN as a ServiceŽ platform.

"Since Sollum Technologies was founded, the company has been growing rapidly and making significant gains in this fiercely competitive market. We have always been confident that our dynamic lighting solution offers unique advantages and stands out in the industry with its ease of use, the most flexibility and the most scalability on the market. Entering phase 2 of funding with SDTC and gaining giants SAVOURA Group and Prism Farms as clients and partners, alongside our collaborators at the Harrow RDC, is evidence that our work, commitment, and trust in our product continue to pay off. This new endeavour decisively cements Sollum's positions as the leader in dynamic horticultural lighting."

• Louis Brun, CEO, Sollum Technologies

"Global food security and its impact on people and the economy is a serious risk to our future wellbeing. Sollum's greenhouse lighting technology offers farmers the ability to grow fresh food anywhere in the world. Technologies like Sollum's are leading the way to greater food sustainability. SDTC is proud that this investment will help them scale-up their solution."

• Leah Lawrence, CEO of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) 

"This is the time for bold and ambitious action. Our government is proud to support groundbreaking companies, like Sollum Technologies, that are making Canada a global leader in clean technology while ensuring a greener future for everyone. These innovators are driving our economic prosperity while creating well-paying jobs across Canada. They are key to the vital shift to a healthier environment and a net-zero-carbon economy."

• The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

"As a leader in greenhouse cultivation in Québec, research and innovation are obvious choices in each of our business decisions. Added to our values is the importance of the origin of our suppliers. This project with Sollum Technologies brings together several elements related to our mission and represents an excellent opportunity to test and optimize the most advanced lighting system on the market directly in our greenhouses."

-        Richard Dorval agr., President and Chief Operating Officer, SAVOURA Group

"Sollum's dynamic fixtures will be used to supply lighting for our new greenhouse expansion where we will aim to produce fresh tomatoes for our customers year-round. This technology will also allow us to find production and energy efficiencies that were not available to us before. We could not be more excited to start working with Sollum Technologies."

Savoura Group

-        Ryan Tiessen, Vice President, Prism Farms

"Having worked with Sollum Technologies since the beginning of their journey with SDTC with the freedom to operate and publish unbiased results, we are now in a prime position, having additional resources and new research partners in SAVOURA and Prism Farms to accelerate several of our research objectives."


Prism Farms

• Sergio Paulo, Acting Director, Research, Development & Technology, Harrow/London/Ontario DTT, Science & Technology Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

About Sollum Technologies 

Inspired by nature, Sollum Technologies was founded in 2015 to offer greenhouse growers the only smart LED lighting solution which dynamically recreates, perfects, and modulates the full spectrum of the Sun's natural light. The company is based in Montréal (Québec, Canada), where its design, development, and manufacturing activities are concentrated. Sollum™ works closely with its clients and research centres to create recipes that are adapted to the growth cycle of each crop, regardless of its native climate or the location of the greenhouse. Its SUN as a ServiceŽ cloud platform enables multi-zone light management so growers can implement several different recipes simultaneously in the same greenhouse. The platform also automatically adapts the lighting of each zone to the ambient light to match recipe targets. Sollum's award-winning lighting solution thereby provides unparalleled value in terms of energy savings, productivity, and superior produce quality through a flexible, adaptive, and easy-to-use application, with great respect for the environment. For more information, visit sollum.tech.

About Sustainable Development Technology Canada

At SDTC, we support companies attempting to do extraordinary things.  From initial funding to educational support and peer learning to market integration, we are invested in helping our small and medium-sized businesses grow into successful companies that employ Canadians from coast to coast to coast. We are relentlessly focused on supporting our companies to grow and scale in an increasingly competitive marketplace.  The innovations we fund help solve some of the world's most pressing environmental challenges: climate change, regeneration through the circular economy, and the well-being of humans in the communities they live in and the natural environment they interact with. To learn more, visit www.sdtc.ca.

About the SAVOURA Group

The SAVOURA Group commercializes different varieties of tomatoes for the Québec Canadian and North American markets. The company has been growing and marketing organic tomatoes since 2011. These tomatoes are now offered under the SAVOURA BIO brand. Since 2012, the company has made numerous acquisitions to develop its production and expertise. Since December 2017, it has been commercializing strawberries produced in Danville in the Eastern Townships and since fall 2018, organic mini cucumbers in Saguenay. The company has just completed the construction of a four (4) hectares greenhouse in Mirabel for the production of tomatoes in conventional culture. This $20 million investment will allow the company to cultivate more than 31 hectares on 11 production sites throughout Québec. All planned investments, as well as new packaging projects are oriented towards a sustainable development perspective. To learn more, visit www.savoura.com.

About Prism Farms

Based in Leamington Ontario, Prism Farms owns and operates 7.1 acres of glass greenhouses and 10.3 acres of plastic greenhouses for a total of over 750,000 square feet of greenhouse grow space used to cultivate tomatoes and strawberries. With quality and efficiency as key priorities, they are currently building a new high-tech greenhouse for tomato production. A family-owned farm, now operated by the third generation, Prism takes pride in serving the highest quality products, and providing rewarding jobs, to the members of their community. Among Prism's core company values are strengthening local economies and maintaining a high standard of excellence in food.

About The Harrow Research and Development Centre

Located in Harrow, Ontario, the Harrow Research and Development Centre is one of 20 research centres with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's network of research facilities and the largest greenhouse research complex in all of North America. The Harrow RDC hosts a diverse team of scientists exploring areas of research including the production of greenhouse vegetables, field crops, sustainable soil management for greenhouse gas reduction and nutrient conservation, pest management and plant genetics. Learn more at https://profils-profiles.science.gc.ca/en/research-centre/harrow-research-and-development-centre. 

*All amounts in the press release are in Canadian dollars.

Source: HortiBiz