Energy Efficient Lighting Systems

An exciting new lighting system has been developed in the US that uses around 80 per cent less energy than standard parking lighting forms and simultaneously generates less in the way of light pollution.

The lights, which feature motion sensors, were unveiled earlier this week at the California Lighting Technology Center (based at the University of California), after a development and trial period that had lasted two years.

Motion Activated Lights

The system features powerful LED lights that consume only a limited amount of electricity. It also works on the principle of motion activation, with sensors able to pick up on a person or car moving up to around 35 feet away.

If an allocated period of time elapses (this can be set for between 30 seconds and half-an-hour) where no movement has taken place, the system recognises this and consequently converts the LED output to a lower energy setting.

The LEDs, though, are sufficiently bright to allow parking even at the lower energy level.

What’s more, the reverse action – that is to say, the light going from low to high output – has safety / security implications too, as in indicates the arrival or departure of another vehicle and/ or its driver.

“Switching to LED lights and adding bi-level activity-sensing technology yields energy savings for the project of 50 per cent when the lights are at full power and 80 per cent when they are in low mode”, the Technology Center’s director, Michael Siminovitch, explained.

“As for maintenance savings, we project they will be 42 per cent of what we spent on the fixtures that were replaced.”

He added: “Even at half power, the LED fixtures are delivering plenty of light to the space. We may be able to cut levels further, saving even more electricity and lengthening fixture lifetimes.”

New LED Technology

In related news, a demonstration recently took place at Germany’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute involving a new form of LED able to offer a stronger light while retaining efficiency.

The present generation of LEDs become less efficient the more power is applied to them – a situation referred to as 'LED droop'.

However, the scientists at the Institute found that the effects of the droop – the result of leaking electrons - can be countered.

The new LEDs – developed with the involvement of electronics giant Samsung – are described as being 22 per cent more efficient .