Abhay Thosar, Ph.D., Chief Horticulture Specialist at Sollum Technologies – Interview Series

Abhay Thosar, Ph.D., Chief Horticulture Specialist at Sollum Technologies, works with greenhouse, growth chamber, and vertical farming operations to optimize plant responses using supplemental or sole-source lighting.

Sollum Technologies provides the most advanced dynamic LED lighting solution, illuminating greenhouses worldwide. Committed to sustainability, Sollum drives energy-efficient indoor lighting technologies that enhance quality of life and support dynamic local economies. With an intuitive, fully customizable cleantech solution encompassing equipment, software, and support, Sollum empowers controlled-environment growers to achieve superior yields, profitability, and efficiency.

You have extensive experience in horticulture and controlled environment agriculture. Can you share what initially led you to focus on optimizing plant responses through lighting technology?

As a plant physiologist, I understand that light is the most influential factor in photosynthesis and other biological processes within plants. By fine-tuning light conditions, we can optimize plant responses, improve growth efficiency, and enhance yield and quality.

How has your work across different organizations—Philips Lighting, Fluence, and now Sollum Technologies—shaped your approach to horticultural lighting solutions?

Historically, growers relied on HID lighting for supplemental lighting in the greenhouse industry. Around 12-13 years ago, LED technology became a commercially viable solution, focusing on high-efficacy fixtures with fixed spectrums. Today, with evolving technology, Sollum offers fully dynamic spectrum lighting, allowing growers to adapt their lighting strategy based on crops, cultivars, and market conditions. This adaptability ensures that growers can future-proof their operations without needing to replace fixtures.

Sollum Technologies emphasizes the benefits of dynamic LED lighting in improving cannabis yield and cannabinoid potency. Can you break down how this technology works at a fundamental level?

Unlike traditional fixed-spectrum lighting, Sollum’s dynamic LED system allows growers to adjust the light spectrum and intensity in real time for each growth stage – propagation, vegetative, and flowering phases. By tailoring the light recipe at each stage, growers can enhance crop development, increase yield, and improve overall product quality.

A recent case study mentions a potential 40% increase in cannabis yield using Sollum’s lighting solutions. What are the key factors contributing to such a significant improvement?

One key factor is the optimized light spectrum compared to traditional HPS lighting. Since light is the driving force behind plant development, it is important to synchronize with other key parameters such as temperature, humidity, irrigation, fertilizer, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), air movement, and growing media conditions. A well-integrated approach ensures the highest light-use efficiency, leading to significantly improved yield and quality.

Beyond yield, how does dynamic lighting impact cannabinoid and terpene profiles in cannabis plants? Are there specific spectra or light conditions that enhance potency?

There are reports on improvement of the cannabinoid, THC and terpene profiles with the use of lighting strategies with higher blue and/or far-red wavelength during different growth phases of the plant, which is possible only with dynamic LED lighting.

Many growers are still transitioning from traditional HPS lighting to LED solutions. What are the most common misconceptions or concerns you encounter about switching to dynamic LED lighting?

Some of the most common concerns we hear include:

• Loss of the heat from HPS fixtures (the most common concern for the growers)
• LEDs being too expensive compared to HPS
• Fear of unknown– Historically growers have used HID fixtures and hence have the fear when switching to LEDs that enhance the plant photosynthesis.
• Infrastructure changes– concerns that shifting to LED requires major modification
• Complexity– perceived difficulty in using dynamic LED

At Sollum, we work closely with growers to dispel these misconceptions. Our agronomic support team provides technical guidance and training to ensure a smooth transition, allowing growers to maximize the benefits of dynamic LED lighting without disruptions.

One of the biggest challenges in greenhouse cultivation is energy consumption. How does Sollum’s SUNaaS® platform help growers reduce electricity costs while maintaining high productivity?

Our SUN as a Service® cloud platform allows growers to input energy-saving thresholds into the system. The software then automatically adjusts light intensity and spectrum based on available natural light, ensuring that plants receive optimal lighting without unnecessary energy consumption. Additionally, during peak electricity pricing periods, the software can adjust lighting schedules to lower costs without compromising production.

Your technology allows growers to take advantage of low-energy rate periods by dynamically adjusting lighting schedules. How does this flexibility translate into real-world cost savings?

Sollum’s dynamic LED system is designed to respond in real time to changing conditions, allowing growers to:

• Maximize natural light utilization to reduce supplemental lighting use
• Shift energy consumption to off-peak hours to lower electricity costs
• Fine-tune lighting schedules to balance savings with optimal plant growth

This adaptability results in significant operational cost reductions while maintaining high productivity.

Sollum’s lighting system is described as AI-powered. How does artificial intelligence enhance light spectrum adjustments and overall plant productivity?

Our AI-powered system continuously analyzes real-time data from the growing environment and automatically adjusts light recipes to:

• Maintain consistent growth conditions
• Optimize light intensity and spectral composition based on plant needs
• Improve resource efficiency and yield predictability

By leveraging AI-driven lighting control, growers can achieve better results with less manual intervention, making greenhouse operations more efficient and sustainable.

Finally, what excites you most about the future of horticultural technology, particularly in the cannabis industry?

As new technologies become commercially viable, growers will have even more precision tools to refine their production strategies. The future focus will not only be on increasing yields but also on optimizing production quality -whether that means enhancing cannabinoid profiles, terpene content, or overall plant resilience. Dynamic LED lighting is a key enabler of this next phase of innovation and it’s really exciting to see where technology will take the cannabis industry in the coming years.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Sollum Technologies.