Plant Lighting

Ushio Horturion® HPS greenhouse and turf lighting: a pillar of European HPS production in the future as well

Ushio has been an established name in greenhouse lighting for over two decades and enjoys a worldwide reputation with its HORTURION® HPS lamp series and corresponding power supplies. As one of the very few manufacturers on the market, the company will continue to rely on the power of HPS lighting in the future and thus continue to support greenhouse growers and greenkeepers when changing lamps or developing hybrid systems.

Especially in the cold season, when additional lighting plays a huge role, many greenhouse operators have realized how important the additional heat output generated by conventional HPS lighting is. It substitutes part of the greenhouse heating costs, and provides many plants with much-needed warmth to thrive.

In recent years, Ushio has even further expanded its portfolio and has continued to invest with undiminished intensity in the research and development of HPS lamp technology.  This means that Ushio is and will remain an important and reliable partner for greenhouse companies.

In-house research laboratories, equipped with the latest technology and sophisticated equipment for precise measurements and testing, enable innovations and world firsts: In July 2021, Ushio launched the HORTURION® HPS 1000 W supra plus with 2180 µmol /s. This was followed in 2022 by the HORTURION® HPS 1000 W suprema with 2200 µmol /s. It is currently the most efficient HPS 1000 W lamp in the world.

European production and worldwide distribution

In addition to research, development and sales locations in Germany and Poland, the HORTURION® series is distributed via our office in Oude Meer, the Netherlands, and a worldwide sales force.
Our production facility, inaugurated in 2017, has a full capacity of 1.000-000 lamps with a total area of almost 6000 m2. At full capacity, 500,000 lamps for professional greenhouse lighting can be manufactured here per year.

This signifies that Ushio is not only a trustworthy partner for lamps of highest quality, but is also able to reliably produce and deliver orders with very high quantities for large scale projects.

In-house research & development center
Merging science and technology

Our in-house engineering facilities are located at our company site in Steinhoering, near Munich. They are equipped with the latest technology and sophisticated devices for precise measurement and testing. This is where the first prototypes of the now world-famous HORTURION® series were manufactured more than a decade ago. To this day, the laboratories offer ideal conditions for innovations and world premieres like the first 1000 W / 2200 μmol/s HPS lamp, which was launched in 2022.

In-house engineering facilities at Ushio Germany

For a long period of time the output of a 1000 W HPS lamp was restricted below 2000 μmol/s. The reason for the restriction was the gas pressure inside the burner and the technology used to ignite the lamp.
Our engineers optimised the gas pressure and developed a novel ignition technology, called HORTURION® triple capacitor. This opened the way for a new lamp generation, making the HORTURION® HPS one of the most efficient and most stable HPS lamps currently available.

More information

The light output of a high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamp is the key element determining its efficacy.

For a long period of time the output of a 1000 W HPS lamp was restricted to 1950 µmol s^-1. The reason for the restriction was the gas pressure inside the burner and the technology used to ignite the lamp.

In these lamps the ignition current ran from one electrode through a conducting strip in the ceramics to the other electrode. The necessary flow of current from the electrode to the strip established a limit on the gas pressure inside the burner. Once the temperature was high enough the gas inside the burner ignited; the lamp glowed.

Some years ago, a new HORTURION® lamp was launched, which pushed the output from 1950 µmol s^-1 to 2100 µmol s^-1. By emitting 150 µmol s^-1 more than a common lamp (+7.7 %), the HORTURION® 1000 W HPS sets a new benchmark in regard to efficiency. The technology is a quantum leap towards cost efficient high density production. In 2022 Ushio launched HORTURION® HPS 1000 W suprema with 2200 µmol /s, which is currently the most efficient HPS 1000 W lamp in the world.

This new lamp generation was made possible through optimization of the gas pressure and the co-development of a novel ignition technology: the HORTURION® triple capacitor.

The triple capacitor directs the ignition current not only to the electrode but also directly to the strip. Once the gas is ignited, the triple capacitor closes the connection to the strip and prevents flow of current through the strip. Disconnecting the strip during operation is essential because a constant electric field would enable sodium atoms to diffuse through the ceramics. Diffusion changes the chemical composition of the gas in the burner, leading to early failure and a reduced light output.

Due to the triple capacitor technology the gas composition in the burner is constant. The stability of the gas composition in the burner reduces the light depreciation and guarantees the maximum light output throughout the life time of the lamp.

In thousands of tests the HORTURION® triple capacitor has shown reliable ignition, high light output and stable gas conditions inside the burner. Hence, the HORTURION® triple capacitor guarantees greatest reliability and very high output for the entire service life, making the HORTURION® HPS one of the most efficient and most stable HPS lamps currently available.