Lighting Trends and Resources

 

Dark Sky	Energy Savings	Global Warming
Yellow vs White Light	Uniform Lighting	Aging Infrastructure

Dark Sky Ten Reasons to Consider SolarOne® Solar Powered LED Lighting Systems   Lighting requirements that are not close to grid connections   High trenching costs (e.g. ledge, existing pavement, contaminated soil)   High interconnection costs   Emergency preparedness (e.g., police stations)   Aging wiring in need of replacement   Retrofit to fill in “dark spots”   Demonstrate your commitment to sustainablity to your customers and community   Minimize disruption in high traffic or retail areas   Reduce maintenance costs   Fine tune lighting levels   There is growing awareness of the adverse effects of light pollution on dark skies.   These effects include: Energy waste and the air and water pollution caused by energy waste Harm to human health by affecting sleep patterns Harm to nocturnal wildlife and ecosystems Situations of reduced safety and security due to poor color rendering, glare and non-uniformity Reduced visibility at night with glare and non-uniformity Poor nighttime ambience and amenity with poor color rendering Obscures view of the universe, such as radio frequency interference (RFI) and space debris A growing number of cities and towns are adopting “Dark Sky” mandates.   To learn more visit The International Dark-Sky Association   Energy Savings A significant amount of the world’s energy is used for lighting. In the U.S. it is estimated that lighting consumes on the order of 25% of our electricity production. At 8% of total lighting market, outdoor lighting constitutes 10-15% of the total lighting load. With dwindling energy reserves and increasing energy costs, campuses, towns, communities are looking for every way to reduce their demand.   Global Warming   It is estimated that lighting produces 2900 million metric tons of greenhouse gases per year. Interestingly an estimated 98 million metric tons come from fuel-based lighting (e.g. candles, kerosene lamps) in the developing world. Fuel-based lighting is extremely inefficient, producing 5-15% of lumens per watt of incandescent lighting and 1-2% of state-of-the-art LED lighting.   To view International Association for Energy Efficient Lighting Sources Click Below: "Global Lighting: 1000 Power Plants" - Evan Mills "Fuel-based Light: Large CO2 Source" - Evan Mills White VS Yellow High Pressure Sodium   The Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society is just one of the sources for references of studies indicating that broader spectrum white lighting from sources such as fluorescent bulbs and white LEDs is much more effective in “dark ambient” conditions than narrow spectrum yellow or orange lighting from such sources as high and low pressure sodium lamps. The studies research such parameters as reaction times and facial recognition. In certain cases, almost three times the lumens are required from a High Pressure Sodium light to achieve the same result from a white light.     Uniform Lighting   Many studies are finding that uniformity of lighting to be more important than light levels for properly lighting outdoor settings. Increasingly local lighting ordinances are incorporating uniformity ratios in addition to the established light levels – usually stated in “foot-candles”. It is expected that light levels can be reduced with great uniformity.   Aging Infrastructure   Just like other forms of infrastructure, such as bridges and water mains, electrical distribution networks in many areas across the country are reaching their end of life. The cost of replacing an existing or installing a new buried network is substantial and in many cases prohibitive. Often times the cost is increased because reclamation is required for contaminated soil.  Other considerations include the impact of trenching and repaving on retail footsteps and traffic control. Emergency Preparedness Recent blackouts across the country have demonstrated that our electric grid is vulnerable to failure, both from mechanical failure and intentional attack. Emergency response organizations with law enforcement, public safety and medical facilities need to take special care that essential services stay on-line.   You can learn more about energy preparedness at the Department of Energy's Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability