LEDs to Replace Fluorescent Tubes for Growth of Cultured Algae

Fluorescent bulbs are widely used for algal culture stocks and production in aquaculture operations. Metal halide lamps are also used for production tanks with significant electricity demand and heat production. LED technology promises lower operational costs with less energy waste as heat for equivalent light energy production. Re-tooling algal production facilities with new LED fixtures incurs significant expense that must be recaptured in savings over time. The initial cost, added to concerns over the unknown response of algae to LED light sources may both be factors inhibiting incorporation of this new technology. LED replacement tubes are available to retrofit fluorescent tube fixtures and may offset some conversion costs to replacing light sources. Concerns about the ability of LEDs to provide adequate algae production for hatchery operations led us to run side by side comparison of growth dynamics for four commonly used algae strains using fluorescent light and LED replacement tubes. We also implemented a tunable red and blue LED unit for mass algae production in tanks