StreetLightNews

South Korean Jongoh Lee presents a new innovative and environmentally friendly street light solution. The solution features a solar-powered unit that charges during the day, but what is truly spectacular about the solution is that it installs directly onto a branch of a tree. The street light unit is shaped like a branch with four leaves, thus blending in with the tree that it is installed onto.

During daytime, ‘the branch‘ is barely noticed, but at night, ‘the branch’ comes to life with the help of a luminance sensor. This solution seems easy to install, and the environmental benefits are obvious.

However, a few questions remain unanswered. How well do the units charge the solar panels through tree crowns? Since the units are not bolted down, how does one prevent citizens from stealing the units?

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.