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.

In the German village of Doerentrup, a local engineer has come up with an idea for on-demand street lighting. As a result of rising energy prices, the local authorities have agreed to turn off the street lights at 9 pm to save on electricity and CO2 emissions. But that does not mean that the residents of Doerentrup are left to walk the streets unsafely in complete darkness.

Now, it is possible to turn on the street lights in specific areas at any time. The residents simply have to register on-line, then dial a central number, punch in the specific code for the street(s) they are about to walk, and the lights turn on instantly. As a resident, you only pay for the phone call, and the authorities pay for the electricity.

As Discovery News also reports, this solution is of course easier to implement in small villages. In Doerentrup, the authorities report that the idea has generated savings of about 25 %. For a video presentation, click here.

As a result of rising energy prices during 2008, several cities and villages throughout Wales have been turning off the street lights to save money. However, the Powy council agreed to turn the street lights back on because a citizen of Llangynog offered to pay for the lights from December to April. Expensive? No, not really. The price is £ 295 for all four months.

That means that the village of Llangynog, which lies at the foot of the Berwyn Mountain Range in Powys, Wales, is being lit up for 15 p per day. The BBC article does not report how many street lights there are in Llangynog, but the small farming community of about 250 people indicates that the number of street light poles is probably limited. Read more here.

At StreetLightNews we simply conclude that this is yet another alternative in terms of operating street lights as energy prices continue to rise.

The New York Times reports that a number of cities have turned off or are planning to turn off a number of their street lights in order to save on the electricity bill because of high energy prices and tight budgets. It is alarming news when considering the safety of the respective citizens.

Further, the NY Times writes that the city of Santa Rosa, California has come up with the idea of adopting a light. The adopt-a-light programme gives the local citizens the opportunity to contribute to the Public Works Department. For $150, you can turn a darkened street light back on.

However, the article does not suggest street light dimming although many municipalities and cities around the world has benefitted from dimming, reporting savings of up to 25-40 %. Further, if the street light solution features fault detection, the operator will be much better equipped in terms of coordinating maintenance, thus saving time and money. All in all, dimming seems a brilliant alternative to darkening the streets.

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.

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.