Producer of soldier fly larvae upgrades with the market's most durable lighting

Since April 2022, the lighting manufacturer RN Solutions has been working on creating the lighting framework for the production of insect protein in an 18,000 square meter stable facility at Østbirk. Since Enorm's soldier fly larvae require tight light control and particularly hard-wearing fixtures, the experience from other stable systems has been used for the production of insects.

- This is the first time we have worked with lights for insects, and Enorm is the largest production plant that has been made to date for fly larvae in northern Europe, and it has been very exciting and challenging to work with. It all fits well into what we already do, and it fits well into our product portfolio, says Rune Nielsen, director of RN Solutions.

RN Solutions began deliveries of the approximately 1,000 fittings in April 2022 to the 18,000 square meter insect plant, where protein is produced from soldier flies.

Hard environment
The insects require special light, because in some places there is very high humidity, often over 80 percent, because this is the environment in which the larvae and flies thrive best. This places great demands on, among other things, the light sources, and as something new for the light manufacturer RN Solutions, light has also had to be supplied to ventilation ducts, where both moisture and ammonia is present in large concentrations.

-There are pupa halls where the light is made as built-in light, but we have also made light in all the ventilation, and it must be able to withstand all the extraction and all the ammonia and moisture that is. It is an extremely harsh environment, and there must be enough light to see all the extraction and ventilation, says Rune Nielsen.

Enorm was looking for light that could withstand the harsh environment in which insects thrive, and before the collaboration with RN Solutions they had tried other lighting that could not cope with the must, so they contacted the barn specialists from RN Solutions, which makes lighting for all types of stables.

The collaboration with Enorm started in April 2022, and the last light sources must be delivered in April or May 2023, and it has been an ongoing process because the stables have been built in several stages.

-We have been to Østbirk several times to review the needs, because there are quite diverse needs, depending on the type of barn in question. When it comes to the pups, for example, there must be special built-in lighting that is hidden away, in other places there must be large bucket lamps that provide proper light up to a height of 11 meters – and in other places again they would like Plug'N Play solutions , because it makes the most sense that it is in sync with the venting. So there are different needs, and we have reviewed the entire project on an ongoing basis to see what is needed in the individual stables, explains Rune Nielsen and elaborates that there has been very good cooperation with Enorm and the installer VS Automatic throughout the period.

International potential
Because the facility with 18,000 square meters of insects under roof is so large, there has been work with many challenges, which have given RN Solutions new knowledge about the production of insects. - There is a lot of new knowledge, and the more you find out along the way, the more you have to adapt the installation. It has probably been the biggest challenge on the lighting part, but we have used our standard components, so it has worked well, explains Rune Nielsen, who sees great potential for both RN Solutions and for the production of insect protein worldwide.

Internationally, Rune Nielsen hopes that other manufacturers of insects will open their eyes to the fact that RN Solutions can supply light sources that can cope with the harsh environment in which insects thrive.

- fits very well in our concept, and we also make lights for salmon farms and everything other than normal agriculture, and we want to be a leader in animals, and whether it's insects, pigs, cattle, poultry or fish, it fits it fits well into our setup. There is no doubt that it is a growing market, and there will be much more of this kind of insect company like Enorm in the future, estimates Rune Nielsen, who is ready to try out unproven barn systems if there is someone who has a new challenge for the lighting experts.

-It has been interesting to work with, because it is not an area we knew much about beforehand. It is exciting to follow the production, how it takes place, but even if it is something different from working with other animals, there are also many things that repeat themselves in relation to the type of light and circadian rhythms for the insects, says Rune Nielsen.

Soldier flies must, among other things, have light with a fixed circadian rhythm, and are therefore very similar to many other animals, says Rune Nielsen, who also has many years of experience in optimizing productivity and animal welfare through the right lighting of animals.