StreetLightNews

A great deal of street light operators use the internet as a way of staying updated on the functionality of their street light poles. If an outage is discovered, citizens can inform the operator via an online maintenance request form as in the case of Draper City, Utah.

As much as the advance in terms of using the Internet as a communication platform for operaters and citizens must be applauded, one cannot help mentioning an even more advanced solution. A great deal of the largest players in the utility sector offer solutions that feature fault detection meaning that the operator can stay updated on the status of all the street light poles from a central location. Companies such as Power-One, Amplex, and Streetlight Intelligence all offer enhanced maintenance functionalities assisting you in staying ahead of the game.

Using the technology at hand, such features ease the coordination of maintenance efforts thus saving time and money.

In a London trial, moving vehicles will generate electricity for street lights, road signs and traffic lights as new ‘green’ speed bumps will capture the kinetic energy of vehicles. The idea is designed by Peter Hughes, an engineer who formerly advised the United Nations on renewable energy sources. If the trial proves successful, the new solution could be rolled out in the rest of Britain.

With a steady flow of traffic, four of these bumps could generate enough electricity to power street lights, road signs, and traffic lights for a mile-long stretch of street. Energy not used immediately can be stored or fed into the national grid.  The ramps are silent, comfortable, and they do not damage your car or waste petrol as you drive over them, Peter Hughes explains.

The article also reports that a nightclub opened in Rotterdam, Netherlands last year, and the club is run partly on energy generated by people dancing. The name of the nightclub? Club WATT.

2009 is the International Year of Astronomy initiated by the International Astronomical Union and UNESCO to help the people of the world rediscover their place in the universe through the day- and night-time sky.

The International Dark Sky-Association (IDA) is promoting the global effort with various educating events and publications throughout 2009.  Check out the cool light pollution animations available from IDA’s webpage to help spreading the message that light pollution can be avoided. The animations can be downloaded for free, so you can help raising awareness of the need to reduce light pollution and to save energy.