Wow, that seems quite far away, almost 600 hps height. Lets rephrase this: if i wanted to keep them some thing like 8 inches, inorder to minimise light loss, what wattage could i get away with? Its an open space without reflective walls, so 18 inches seems like it will unnecessaryily lose a lot of light. Maybe ok for the centre of cannopy, but on the sides it seems very photon spendy.
There is no " center " per say with this panel , spread is uniform and multiplied when using multiples. They do do not follow rules as with HID lights over canopy. They are improved with optics over OPEN SPACES - an easy fix for your setup. (
@robincnn @Stephenj37826 ).
The FRINGE areas actually grow quite well , I currently have a 4 foot plant PLUS ( GG4 ) that has been solely a fringe corner grow. It is taller than hang panel with remainder at corner area of desktop grow area. ( will post pic tomorrow- lights out right now ) .
That wasn't my plan but she is thriving like a champ WITHOUT being directly under.
As far as height - 15-18" is the most common , bringing panel closer really isn't needed.
BUT ..... With a " dimmed " output you can bring it closer. Driver specific.
Be aware that these panels jump in efficiency as power is near MID POWER LEVELS .
Sure you can go balls to the wall , but it actually gets better with less wattage - less heat , less load , higher LM/W . Take the thinking of nitro burning light setups and throw that out the window. It's good to have power on reserve but you may want dimming capability.
My 2 pesos
