RHENAC GreenTec AG Develops Intelligent Plant Lighting System for the Hypogeum in Bernabéu Stadium

Plant Growth Lighting from Hennef for Real Madrid’s Turf

Real Madrid has commissioned RHENAC GreenTec AG to install its developed and produced turf lighting technology in the legendary Bernabéu Stadium, which has been undergoing a complete renovation since 2019. The Complete Light Spectrum (CLS) technology, marketed under the RHENAC Sports LED brand, is the only plant lighting technology in the world capable of creating a flexible light spectrum for sports turf and even replicating sunlight. This technology from the Hennef-based company is a key component in the revolutionary transformation of the football stadium into a multifunctional arena capable of hosting not only football games but also concerts, trade fairs, and other sporting events.

To achieve this, a movable turf surface, approximately 7,500 square meters in size and divided into six trays, along with the surrounding areas, has been constructed. This turf can be stored in an underground space known as the Hypogeum. A space approximately 25 meters deep, 100 meters long, and 11 meters wide has been built under the stadium’s west stand. Florentino Pérez, President of Real Madrid, describes this storage as a “greenhouse equivalent to a seven-story building,” for which an amount of soil equivalent to 30 Olympic swimming pools was excavated.

When the turf is not needed, the six trays are hydraulically retracted into the underground storage via a paternoster elevator and stored on top of each other like a high-bay warehouse. To ensure the turf survives its time underground, the necessary climatic conditions are provided: air conditioning, a complex irrigation system, drainage, and the core of the system, the turf growth lighting system from RHENAC GreenTec AG, which is installed on the underside of the trays to provide the turf below with the light it needs to grow. RHENAC GreenTec AG is installing 6,290 specially developed lights with a total of 1,258,000 LEDs for this project. 3,145 power supplies, over 15 kilometers of cable, and custom-developed power electronics enable intelligent multi-channel light control to deliver the right light intensity and recipe for each part of the field.

The innovative turf lighting systems, already in use in German and international stadiums, were developed by RHENAC GreenTec AG based on scientific research. Since 2013, studies on the interactions of different light sources on turf types have been conducted at the greenhouse laboratory center at the Weihenstephan Science Center of the Technical University of Munich. The CLS light technology developed from this research allows for individual compositions of different light spectra, enabling it to adapt not only to the various physiological phases of turf growth but also to changing climatic conditions. Additionally, intelligent turf monitoring allows for the early detection of vitality loss in the turf. Sensors capture environmental conditions as well as plant states based on plant hormones. Early consideration of stress parameters – before damage symptoms appear – significantly reduces the turf’s susceptibility to disease and enhances the vitality of the grass.

“Our turf lighting technology is the only one in the world capable of responding to the signals from the turf’s plant hormones with appropriate changes in the entire light spectrum. Since root zone development requires different light than the stimulation of grass branching or length growth, our systems can support grass growth in every phase of development. This enables us to maintain the quality of the turf even during its storage in the Hypogeum and meet Real Madrid’s high standards,” summarizes Horst Theisen, CEO of RHENAC GreenTec AG.

About RHENAC GreenTec AG

RHENAC GreenTec AG, based in Hennef, develops and produces innovative LED plant lighting systems with scientific support for a wide range of applications. These range from use in plant research and production, such as biomass production and indoor and urban farming, to lighting systems for sports turf. Services include project consulting and planning, development and manufacturing of lighting systems, and on-site commissioning.

Contact: Dagmar Ziegner Press Officer
Phone: +49 2244 876 965
Email: d.ziegner@rhenac.de
RHENAC GreenTec AG Reisertstraße 1-3 53773 Hennef