Author: Plant Factory Alliance

According to the latest research results of market research agency Technavio, it is estimated that by 2020, the global plant growth lighting market will be worth more than 3 billion U.S. dollars, and it will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12% from 2016 to 2020. Among them, the LED grow light market will reach 1.9 billion U.S. dollars, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 25%.
With the continuous upgrading of LED grow light product technology and the continuous introduction of its new products, UL’s standards are also constantly updated and changed based on new products and new technologies. The rapid growth of global Horticultural Luminaires farm lighting/plant growth lighting has penetrated the global market. UL released the first edition of the plant growth lighting standard UL8800 on May 4, 2017, which includes lighting equipment installed in accordance with the American Electrical Law and used in horticultural environments.

Like other traditional UL standards, this standard also includes the following parts: 1, parts, 2, terminology, 3, structure, 4, protection against personal injury, 5, testing, 6, nameplate and instructions.
1、Structure
The structure is based on UL1598, and the following needs to be achieved:
If the housing or baffle of the Led Grow Lighting fixture is plastic, and these housings are exposed to sunlight or light, according to the requirements of UL1598 16.5.5 or UL 746C., the plastic used must have anti-UV parameters (that is, (f1)).

When connecting to the power supply network, it must be connected in accordance with the prescribed connection method.
The following connection methods are available:
According to UL1598 6.15.2, it can be connected with metal hose;
Can be connected with a flexible cable (At least of the hard-service type, such as SJO, SJT, SJTW, etc., the longest cannot exceed 4.5m);
Can be connected with a flexible cable with plug (NEMA specification);
Can be connected with a special wiring system;
When there is a lamp-to-lamp interconnection structure, the plug and terminal structure of the secondary connection cannot be the same as the primary one.

For plugs and sockets with ground wire, the ground wire pin or insert piece shall be connected preferentially.

2、Application environment
Must be damp or wet outdoor.
3、IP54 dustproof and waterproof grade
The operating environment must be reflected in the installation instructions, and it is required to reach at least IP54 dustproof and waterproof grade (according to IEC60529).
When the luminary, like an LED grow lighting fixture, is used in a wet location, that is, in an environment where this luminary is exposed to rain drops or water splashes and dust at the same time, it needs to have a dustproof and waterproof grade of at least IP54.

4、The LED Grow Light must not emit light that is harmful to the human body
According to IEC62471 non-GLS (general lighting services), it is necessary to evaluate the biological safety level of all light waves within 20cm of the luminaire and the wavelength between 280-1400nm. (The assessed photobiological safety level needs to be Risk Group 0 (Exempt), Risk Group 1, or Risk Group 2; if the replacement light source of the lamp is a fluorescent lamp or HID, the photobiological safety level does not need to be assessed.