StreetLightNews

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports that the city council of Fitchburg, Massachusetts plans to eliminate many street lights in an effort to save money. The suggestions so far propose that either one in four street lights be turned off, or the street lights should be turned on at major intersections, and shut off at half of the remaining fixtures. No suggestion related to dimming was allegedly discussed during the meetings.

The benefits of dimming are clear and well-documented. Companies offering solutions in street light management can generate energy savings of 25-40 percent through dimming and more exact burn hours. Such a solution can typically be installed in every pole or simply in the control cabinets, the latter being the most cost-friendly solution. Therefore, dimming would be a great alternative to the suggested solutions in Fitchburg, which in practice would mean that all lights can be left turned on, thus maximizing a high level of safety for the citizens while saving energy and money at the same time.

In a time where a sustainable environment is on top of the agenda, it is crucial that we all have a common understanding of how technology can contribute to a better environment. With street lighting in mind, it is therefore troubling to find that there is still confusion about the benefits of dimming.

In an article brought in The Press on 16 October 2008, the author, a York-resident, expresses his sincere doubts about how dimming can save energy, thus money. He argues that if he turns his dimmer on at home, he will still be charged the same amount as without a dimmer. Several comments follow from different readers trying to explain the correlation between the consumption of kilowatt-hours and dimming, stating that the author is completely wrong.

However, there is some truth in his claim. Provided that he refers to a standard incandescent light bulb with a traditional home-installed dimmer, the savings in his house would be minimal. Such an installation simply cannot be compared to dimmed street lights as these typically use high pressure sodium (HPS) bulbs and a different dimming system. When lowering the voltage on a HPS bulb during off-peak traffic hours for example, the wattage will decrease by 25-40 percent. The point here is, that you cannot compare traditional incandescent light bulbs in your living room with high pressure sodium bulbs used in street lights in terms of dimming.

Japanese company Sharp is now launching a solar-powered streetlight. Combining Sharp’s own solar modules and long-life, white LEDs, the Japanese company presents the environmentally friendly streetlight solution of the 21st century. The unit delivers brightness at the highest level; still the unit does not produce any light pollution, uses no mercury, and emits no ultraviolet light.

Storage batteries charge from sunlight during the day and shines automatically at night. The level of maintenance is minimal as Sharp’s solution only requires replacement once every 10 years.

One of the extra benefits that especially cities in earthquake zones will enjoy is the built-in seismic motion sensor. This feature enables the unit to detect any earthquake measuring five or higher on the Japanese Seismic Intensity Scale. When detected, the unit will turn on full brightness at nighttime hours for at least two days.

Initially, the solution will be available on the Japanese market. In Europe, the European Union applaudes companies who commit to the reudction of light pollution. Thus, the EU GreenLight Programme has been developed to involve public and private organisations in upgrading their lighting systems to reduce light pollution. Well-known B2C companies such as McDonald’s and Nike have been awarded partner status, while international operating B2B companies such as Amplex A/S and Reverberi Enetec are awarded the endorser status.

The town of Lac Megantic is home to Canada’s largest telescope. However, due to population growth and urban sprawl in the surrounding area, conducting research at the observatory was becoming increasingly difficult.
Therefore, an initiative to reduce the sky glow has led to installation of a number of dimming units in streetlight poles. During the hours of 10 pm and 6 am, the streetlight is reduced by up to 65%, saving as much as 50% energy.
The solution, Night-Saver, is controlled via a microchip and is installed in individual poles. Read more about the project in Canada here…

The city of Peterborough is attempting to become UKs green capital. One way of achieving this is to dim the streetlights. The City Council is considering dimming in order to substantially reduce their carbon footprint. See more at Peterborough Today.

However, only lights on parkways would be dimmed, not residential area streetlights, where they would remain on full blast. With the dimming technologies available, it would make sense to dim streetlights everywhere, not just on parkways and motorways. One of the city councillors states in the article that dimming is not something that should be used on all roads. It seems that they still have some research to do over at Peterborough.

A recent article in Washington Post describes how streetlights are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. The newspaper quotes Robert Grow, director of government relations at the Greater Washington Board of Trade, for estimating an annual reduction of 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions if the 10 largest metropolitan areas of the US switch to a centralized solution and LED streetlights. This is equivalent to taking 212,000 cars off the roads and save an additional 90 million taxpayer dollars annually.

In his report on streetlight savings, Grow recommends a centrally controlled streetlight solution with dimming and optimized maintenance functionalities.

According to the Post, Grow was surprised that more hasn’t been done already to improve the efficieincy of streetlight.

As previously described in this blog, the most efforts have been made in the town of Ann arbor, Mich. where all streetlights have been converted to LEDs.

Centralized streetlight solutions are offered by companies such as US-based Echelon with installations in e.g. Oslo, Norway, and Danish company Amplex with installations in e.g. Scandinavia, the United Arab Emirates and Asia.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, city officials are experimenting with LEDs for streetlight.

The US company Relume Technologies has provided 12 LEDs for a pilot project which will cut a significant part of the consumption and maintenance bills.

Other North American cities to test LEDs for streetlight are Ann Arbor, Raleigh, N.C. and Toronto, Canada.

See more at the Grand Rapids Press. 

Five new street lighting research projects focus on establishing new standards and best practices for the lighting industry.

Roger Elphick, chairman of the UK Lighting Board, points out that the initiative is important because it creates a joint effort towards energy management and an increased focus on minimizing the carbon footprint that comes from street lighting.

Included in the five projects are topics such as reviewing the quality of street light and determining the appropriate lighting levels for different situations. Also, there will be a project focusing on financial returns and improving the efficiency of lighting systems and energy cost reductions.

The projects are all set to be completed in Spring 2008. We will follow up on the results at this site.For more information regarding the article at the Institution of Lighting Engineers, read more here…  

According to Gordon Brown’s clima speech last week, the UK has plans of creating an environmentally sustainable economy. They have passed a law to fight global warming and want to lead the way by becoming the world’s leading green nation.

According to Brown, the government is currently considering whether the targets for CO2 reductions can be increased from 60 to 80%.

Also, the UK strives to achieve the EU target of having 30% of all energy coming from sustainable energy sources in 2020. Additionally, the financial support for sustainable initiatives will be increased significantly.

In Devon and Cornwall, they have already commenced serious preparations for sustanability by launching a project where all street lights will be dimmable. 40% of the region’s CO2 emmissions stem from lighting, and thus lowering the energy consumption here will provide significant CO2 savings. 

At the Spring Mountain Ranch community in Nevada, a rather unconventional solution has been chosen for powering the community’s street light.

A total of 992 lamps are running on natural gas, and since they are not equipped with the technology to be turned off, they burn 24 hours a day, summer and winter.

This comes at a high cost for the community, and the residents are picking up the tab. A resident from the homeowner’s association reports that one month’s gas bill comes to $17,500. This equals $17 per lamp per month. Electricity-powered street lights in the area cost between $3 and $6 a month.

Abandoning the solution is not really an option as the gas company will charge $240 per lamp to be retrofitted to electricity. So for now, the lights will stay on 24h.

Read the article here…