LED Lights at Newark Airport are Watching You

Visitors to Terminal B at Newark Liberty International Airport may notice the bright, clean lighting that now blankets the cavernous interior, courtesy of 171 recently installed LED fixtures. But they probably will not realize that the light fixtures are the backbone of a system that is watching them. The LED-based light fixtures at Newark Airport can gather and transmit data for automated analysis.

Visitors to Terminal B at Newark Liberty International Airport may notice the bright, clean lighting that now blankets the cavernous interior, courtesy of 171 recently installed LED fixtures. But they probably will not realize that the light fixtures are the backbone of a system that is watching them. The LED-based light fixtures at Newark Airport can gather and transmit data for automated analysis.

This LED-based light fixture can gather and transmit data for automated analysis.

Using an array of sensors and eight video cameras around the terminal, the light fixtures are part of a new wireless network that collects and feeds data into software that can spot long lines, recognize license plates and even identify suspicious activity, sending alerts to the appropriate staff.

The project is still in its early stages, but executives with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, are already talking about expanding it to other terminals and buildings.

To customers like the Port Authority, the systems hold the promise of better management of security as well as energy, traffic and people. But they also raise the specter of technology racing ahead of the ability to harness it, running risks of invading privacy and mismanaging information, privacy advocates say.

Hugh Martin, chief executive of Sensity Systems, says “there is a lot of value, I think, if we do it right, to this information.”

Hugh Martin, chief executive of Sensity Systems, says “there is a lot of value, I think, if we do it right, to this information.” Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Fred H. Cate, director of the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research at Indiana University, described the potential for misuse as “terrifying.”

His concern derived not from the technology itself but from the process of adopting it, driven by, he said, “that combination of a gee-whiz technology and an event or an opportunity that makes it affordable.” As a result, he said, there was often not enough thought given to what data would actually be useful and how to properly manage it.

At Newark Airport, the Port Authority will own and maintain the data it collects. For now, it says, no other agencies have access to it, and a law enforcement agency can obtain it only through a subpoena or written request.

What began as a way to help governments and businesses save energy by automatically turning lights on and off has become an expanding market for lights, sensors and software capable of capturing and analyzing vast amounts of data about the habits of ordinary citizens.

The light fixtures are outfitted with special chips and connect to sensors, cameras and one another over a wireless network. Data that is collected — say, a particular car pulling up to the terminal — can then be mined and analyzed for a broad range of applications. Systems like the Port Authority’s, developed by a company called Sensity Systems, could soon be more widely available. Under a recent agreement, Amerlux, a leading lighting manufacturer, will start using the technology in its LED fixtures.

“We are opening up an entirely new area in lighting applications and services,” said Chuck Campagna, Amerlux’s chief executive, “including video-based security and public safety, parking management, predictive maintenance and more.”

Other companies, including giants like Cisco Systems and Philips, are racing to grab a share of that market.

Las Vegas is testing a street lighting system that can broadcast sound, and plans to use it mainly to control lighting and play music or to issue security alerts at a pedestrian mall.

Copenhagen is installing 20,000 streetlamps as part of a system that could eventually control traffic, monitor carbon dioxide levels and detect when garbage cans are full. Other government agencies and businesses have begun replacing thousands of lighting fixtures with LEDs, mainly to cut costs.

The trend is expected to accelerate as the fixtures become cheaper and more sophisticated. Navigant Consulting, a firm based in Chicago, has estimated that cities’ interest will prompt more than $100 billion in spending on the technology over the next 10 years.

“More and more what we’re seeing is decision-makers choosing networked lighting controls not just for the energy benefits but for a whole host of nonenergy benefits,” said Jesse Foote, a lighting industry analyst at Navigant.

Sensity’s technology, for example, would allow light fixtures and sensors to pinpoint a gunshot, sense an earthquake or dangerous gas, or spot a person stopping at various cars in a parking lot.

An assembler at Sensity Systems works on one of the company’s sensor-equipped, wirelessly networked lighting fixtures.

An assembler at Sensity Systems works on one of the company’s sensor-equipped, wirelessly networked lighting fixtures. Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

Some cities already have more targeted sensors, like the ShotSpotter gunshot location system in use by more than 70 American cities, including Boston, Milwaukee and San Francisco. But the Sensity network can bring them together through existing light fixtures.

The system could, once software is developed, also make shopping more convenient — a potential boon for malls losing business to the Internet. Sensing a shopper pulling into a parking lot, the system could send an alert to a smartphone, showing empty spaces, or a coupon.

“We see outdoor lighting as the perfect infrastructure to build a brand new network,” said Hugh Martin, Sensity’s chief executive. “We felt what you’d want to use this network for is to gather information about people and the planet.”

But that is precisely what worries privacy advocates.

“There are some people in the commercial space who say, ‘Oh, big data — well, let’s collect everything, keep it around forever, we’ll pay for somebody to think about security later,’ ” said Justin Brookman, who studies consumer privacy at the Center for Democracy and Technology. “The question is whether we want to have some sort of policy framework in place to limit that.”

Even those developing the technology acknowledge the concerns.

“I’m not saying that I know the exact balance point, but there is a lot of value, I think, if we do it right, to this information,” Mr. Martin said, whether that value is heightening security or helping stores compete with Amazon.

His company has a board that includes Heather Zichal, President Obama’s former energy and climate change adviser, and former Representative Richard A. Gephardt to help figure out the implications of the technology.

“I just think we need to be very thoughtful about the positives and the negatives,” Mr. Martin said. He added that the Sensity network is encrypted and “supersecure.”

In Las Vegas, officials say they are not interested in using the video and audio surveillance capabilities of the system they are testing, called Intellistreets, and are instead looking at the use of audio broadcasting to enhance ambience and safety in public areas.

In Copenhagen, the emphasis is on efficiency, said Eric Dresselhuys, an executive vice president of Silver Spring Networks, which designed the network to connect that system.

Executives say the potential for the advanced lighting is nearly boundless.

“No one really wanted the smartphone 20 years ago because they didn’t know they could have it,” said Fred Maxik, founder and chief technology officer of Lighting Science Group, which manufactures LEDs. “And I think the same is true of lighting today: No one knows what lighting is going to be capable of.”

LED Lights at Newark Airport are Watching You

Detroit prepares for complete shift to LED street lighting

The Detroit Lighting Authority is holding community meetings throughout the month in areas particularly affected by broken or out street lights. The Public Lighting Authority is looking for LED (light-emitting diode) suppliers for its upcoming $160 million project to outfit the city’s entire streetlight system with the brighter, more efficient lights.

DETROIT, MI — The Public Lighting Authority is looking for LED (light-emitting diode) suppliers for its upcoming $160 million project to outfit the city’s entire streetlight system with the brighter, more efficient lights.

Katie Bailey | MLive.com Broken street lamps on Grand River Avenue leave swaths of Detroit dark on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014.

Detroit’s severely dysfunctional lighting system is being reconfigured, with work beginning in two pilot neighborhoods this month, followed by a complete overhaul to last through 2015 on residential blocks and through 2016 along major roads.

Mayor Mike Duggan this week said the city decided to turn to LED lighting to boost efficiency from the current high-pressure sodium lights without taking on the risk of solar lighting.

“Overwhelmingly, the cutting-edge cities are going from sodium to LED,” Duggan said. “We couldn’t find a significant city going to solar… We made the decision to follow what is, I believe, the most advanced national trend right now, which is LED. Ten years from now, might it become solar? Yes. But I really don’t want Detroit to be the first to try it out.”

More and more cities public lighting are going to LEDs

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New LED lighting along Michigan Street in downtown Duluth, Minn. has brightened and whitened up the area considerably compared to the days of high-pressure sodium lighting. Credit: Bob King

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(Related: Detroit’s massive lighting problem convinced mayor’s wife to let him run)

Public Lighting Authority Executive Director Odis Jones said using LED lights will save the city $2.5 million a year.

The authority on Friday issued a request for proposals seeking manufacturers to supply the upgrade.

Jones said in a press release he is committed to utilizing Detroit and Michigan-based businesses where possible.

“The manufacturer will be expected to pursue local sourcing of work and utilize Detroit-based businesses in support of this effort wherever practical,” he said.

Potential bidders for the project can click here by Feb. 14, 2014 to request access to the bid documents.

Bidders can also access the RFP here, or by emailing support@poweradvocate.com, requesting access to Event # 40424.

Bids will be received until Feb. 21, 2014.

The overhaul will strategically place 42,200 neighborhood streetlights on blocks that have multiple occupied homes while forgoing lighting for abandoned areas.

“Blocks that have no houses, we’re not putting up lights, period,” Duggan said. “… But if we’ve got two or three families left, we’re still going to put a light on that block. We think they deserve that, too.”

Detroit prepares for complete shift to LED street lighting

LED Lights Set To Upgrade Detroit’s Neighborhoods

The Public Lighting Authority of Detroit has been installing new street lights in two demonstration areas of the city since the beginning of November. As we have installed the new lights we have continued to evaluate lessons learned within the demonstration area.

Public Lighting Authority of Detroit Executive Director Odis Jones

Public Lighting Authority of Detroit Executive Director Odis Jones Tuesday issued the following statement:

The Public Lighting Authority of Detroit has been installing new street lights in two demonstration areas of the city since the beginning of November. As we have installed the new lights we have continued to evaluate lessons learned within the demonstration area.

One option we have explored is to discontinue the use of traditional High Pressure Sodium lights in favor of more modern LED (Light-Emitting Diode) lights. After considerable research, and in consultation with Mayor Mike Duggan, I have decided that LED lights will provide brighter and more cost efficient lighting for the city. As a result, I will present a plan to the newly appointed PLA board to install all LED street lights in the remainder of the demonstration areas as well as in the rest of the city. This plan will be presented to the board at its first meeting Wednesday, January 29th.

In addition, I will recommend doubling the pace of the installation of new lights within neighborhoods so that it will be completed in 18 months, rather than the current schedule of three years.

In the meantime, in the period between now and the board meeting, the crews that have been installing lights will be carrying out general repair work that is required.

LED Lights Set To Upgrade Detroit’s Neighborhoods

Will local councils see the light on LED technology?

LED street lights can cut energy bills, reduce carbon emissions, be operated remotely and linked to smart technology. Councils should take note

UK councils need to follow the example set by cities such as Shanghai, where LED lighting illuminates the elevated highways. Photograph: Imaginechina/Corbis

Visitors to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer will find a city transformed by the £0.5bn poured into new sporting venues and beefing up the city’s infrastructure.

But there is an even more fundamental transformation under way in Scotland’s biggest city. By next summer, it will be firmly on track to becoming a world-leading “smart” city, having won £25m from the government’s Technology Strategy Board to show how a city can use cutting-edge digital and wireless technology to provide services such as roads, security and lighting to its citizens more efficiently, while cutting CO2 emissions.

And lighting is one of three key areas where Glasgow is trying to shine as a smart city. In November, the council announced that by next summer the sulphurous orange glow of 10,000 sodium street lights will be replaced with the crisp white light of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and compact fluorescent bulbs, cutting the city’s energy and maintenance bills.

But the really smart bit is that Glasgow will test the way LED lights, unlike their technological predecessors, can be equipped with digital sensors allowing them to be controlled remotely, and to respond to changes in the local environment, such as an increase in traffic. Such intelligent controls can push the average energy savings with LED lighting from 50% to 70%, according to the European commission.

Yet a recent roundtable discussion on the future of lighting in cities – hosted by the Guardian in association with GE Lighting – heard that only 10% of new public streetlights are LED based. So what is preventing LEDs from being installed in every house, skyscraper and city street? How do you flick the switch on the LED revolution?

Ben Ferrari, director of corporate relationships for the Climate Group, a not-for-profit organisation working globally with governments and business on the green economy, told the workshop that LED could be a critical weapon against climate change, as lighting accounts for almost 20% of global electricity use. At the recent UN climate conference in Warsaw, the Climate Group renewed its call for all new public lighting globally to be LED by 2020.

“If we are facing peak emissions this decade, scale for LED isn’t just desirable,” Ferrari said. “We have to get where we are going, and we have to get there quickly.”

Energy savings

The roundtable – which included representatives from industry, law, environmental groups and government-funded bodies – agreed that the technology is now ripe for take-off. One of the biggest barriers to LED competing in the market for general lighting has been high cost. But research from management consultancy McKinsey shows that costs are dropping 30% a year. And efficiency rates and life-spans are going just as quickly in the opposite direction, so that by 2020 the energy saving compared to today’s conventional lighting is expected to reach 90%.

Guardian executive editor Jo Confino, who chaired the discussion, asked if the technology is changing too quickly, making councils reluctant to invest in what is effectively a moving target.

Ronald Hendrikx, partner at Bird & Bird, a law firm that is working with the Department of Energy & Climate Change on the roll-out of smart meters, said that with the rapid growth of companies in the sector, “the amount of choice available is baffling. You don’t know where to stop or start.” Falling costs are also an excuse for cities to put off a decision.

But Iain Watson, director of energy efficiency for the Green Investment Bank (GIB), said the savings in energy and maintenance costs that councils can make by acting today are already so substantial that delay no longer makes financial sense.

Although Glasgow’s decision to replace its street lights was independent of the smart city funding, the money will be used for pilot projects that pair LED lighting on a stretch of road with smart controls and wireless technology, enabling city planners to monitor traffic, air quality, congestion and noise levels, and respond accordingly.

The LED replacement is a simpler proposition. It costs Glasgow £8.5m a year to power and repair its ageing light network. Since the new lamps are expected to use less than half the energy of the old ones, and last three to seven times longer, the council said the £9m investment in LEDs will be quickly recouped.

Strategic thinking

But recognising the savings requires strategic thinking at a high level, Watson said. “The feeling from the GIB is that we are on the cusp of local authorities understanding the technologies, but you need a visionary to drive forward support for it, because it doesn’t sit in any one team. It needs to get up to the chief executive level to see the benefits, because it is not just the kit that you buy, but the savings you are going to get from it over the long term.”

Dan Palmer, head of market development for the British Standards Institution (BSI), agrees.

“A lot of technology works and could be deployed by cities, but the city isn’t able to act as an intelligent customer,” Palmer said. He added that cities are also unaccustomed to working in partnerships with companies in smart city projects and at a level that spans different departments. “There isn’t a single person whose responsibility it is.”

To overcome this, the BSI was asked by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to come up with smart city guidelines and standards, and it has been working to share the experience of Glasgow and its industry partners with other councils. The first standard will be published next month.

Ersel Oymak, innovations technology manager at Cisco Systems, which is working on Glasgow’s smart city initiative, said one way to sell LED lighting to cities is to focus on its potential to have social benefits that extend far beyond lighting, if used intelligently. Studies have shown that patients in hospital recover better and students achieve more in school if exposed to lighting conditions that adapt to their needs. “We need to raise awareness in local authorities so that they grasp this is the sustainable and strategic thing to do,” Oymak said.

But Agostino Renna, chief executive officer of GE Lighting, said in his experience few cities are capable of such strategic thinking. And the focus on ever-smarter technology runs the risk of putting them off simpler solutions, such as LED replacement.

“I am convinced the answer isn’t more technology,” he said. “I’m a big fan of evolution instead of revolution. Small things that work well, done repeatedly by a lot of people, can make a big difference.”

Several participants called for technology companies to focus less on technology and more on innovative business models that will remove the upfront costs of LED lighting from hard-pressed UK councils facing budget cuts. Bulen Hourshid, director of value engineering at consultancy Aecom, said: “Local authorities have an annual budget. Green technology is all about getting investment back over time. But councils don’t want to invest in something that won’t give them payback within two to three years.”

Dax Lovegrove, head of business engagement at WWF, said one answer could be performance contracts. He pointed to the success of SolarCity in the US, which has cornered the US solar panel market in a few short years by selling solar energy as a service, with no upfront cost to customers to buy and install the solar panels. SolarCity’s customers sign a contract agreeing to pay a monthly fee for electricity that is cheaper than they would pay to their local utility. Financing comes from banks, which get a return for the life of the contract.

John Raspin, partner in the energy and environment group at legal firm Frost & Sullivan, said such performance contracts could be the way of the future. “There needs to be a fundamental thinking shift, from selling a product or solution to selling an outcome.”

Several participants lamented the lack of political will to tackle energy efficiency, with cash-strapped councils neglecting their climate-change targets and the UK government considering scrapping green levies and reviewing its targets for cutting CO2 emissions.

In Brussels, European legislators, who boosted the LED industry by imposing a phased ban on incandescent bulbs, are debating setting binding targets for energy-efficiency savings by 2030, a move that would be another huge fillip to the industry. But Ferrari said strong opposition from business lobby groups could scupper these efforts unless progressive companies champion the cause.

Like GE’s Renna, he thinks the push for LED shouldn’t be mixed up with the drive for smart cities, which will take many years to bear fruit. “The message to cities is don’t wait. There are lots of practical solutions you can do now,” Ferrari said. “They don’t prevent a smart future, but they don’t wait for it, either.”

Will local councils see the light on LED technology?

Cree LED lighting arrives at Munich Airport

LED lighting solutions developer Cree, Durham, NC, USA, is supplying its LED technology to power the apron and exterior lighting systems of Munich Airport, Germany (“FMG”), one of Europe’s largest international hubs, serving 38 million passengers per year.

cree-led-lighting-arrives-at-munich-airport

LED lighting solutions developer Cree, Durham, NC, USA, is supplying its LED technology to power the apron and exterior lighting systems of Munich Airport, Germany (“FMG”), one of Europe’s largest international hubs, serving 38 million passengers per year.

Cree collaborated with Ewo, Cortaccia, Italy, a manufacturer of lighting systems designed for public areas, whose F32 flood lights are replacing high-pressure sodium lamps in Munich Airport’s high-mast systems. The F32 was designed to integrate into the existing apron lighting at Munich Airport, and each light is illuminated by up to 288 Cree XLamp XT-E LEDs.

Munich Airport had sought out LED technology to reduce the operating cost of its more than 13,000 outdoor lights. In addition to energy savings, the airport has set itself the goal of maintaining CO2 emissions at their 2005 level – irrespective of future traffic growth.

The airport expects the new flood lights featuring Cree LEDs to consume at least 50 percent less energy than the previously-installed high-pressure sodium lamps, which would result in yearly electricity savings of 122,000 kilowatt-hours and approximately 70 tons of CO2 on completion of phase one of the lighting overhaul.

Through longer-term replacement of its 3,000 apron floodlights and 10,200 exterior lights, the airport expects to save more than 5,000 tons of CO2 annually. Cree says that by their use of energy- and cost-efficient LED technology, the brilliant white light emitted by the F32 floodlight gives a higher color rendering value to more accurately display colors and provide enhanced visibility compared to the old lamps.

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Refit will save more than 5,000t of CO2 annually.

The importance of airport lighting to the safe management of air traffic cannot be overstated. “Assuring the safety of our passengers, planes and their crew, airport staff and any other visitor is a priority at Munich Airport,” said Günther Sellmeier, planning and project manager for exterior lighting, engineering and facilities, at FMG.

Cree technology is providing lighting for more than just the apron: all implemented floodlights can be universally equipped with a variety of optical lenses and the Ewo Light Management System for additional flexibility, allowing the technology to be adapted to various different situations. One version has been designed especially for airport street lighting to ensure that surrounding roadways are also optimally lit.

Cree LED lighting arrives at Munich Airport

London makes LED street light plans; US and UK projects

London will get the country’s largest deployment of LED street lights by 2016 aiming for 40% energy savings, while a project in Rhode Island may change the thinking in the US on lighting ownership, and North East Lincolnshire pursues another significant UK project.

The UK’s largest city will also get the country’s largest deployment of LED street lights by 2016 aiming for 40% energy savings, while a project in Rhode Island may change the thinking in the US on lighting ownership, and North East Lincolnshire pursues another significant UK project.

London-makes-LED-street-light-plans

The Transport for London (TfL) transit authority has announced plans in conjunction with the Mayor’s office to upgrade 35,000 streetlights with LED luminaires and to install a networked adaptive control system to monitor and control the streetlight inventory. North East Lincolnshire is also pursuing a solid-state lighting (SSL) project in the UK targeting 16,500 lights. In the US state of Rhode Island, meanwhile, the activity of a small utility district has shown the cost-saving benefits of LED lighting, and the state is planning a program to aggressively push adoption of SSL.

London SSL plans

The London streetlight project will support Mayor Boris Johnson’s target goals of reaching a 60% reduction in carbon emissions by 2025. “With tens of thousands of lights marking the way on our road network it makes complete sense to focus energy and resources on bringing them up to 21st century standards,” said Johnson. “This is the largest investment to modernize streetlighting on major roads in our capital’s history and will not only cut carbon emissions and save money but it will also lead to even better and safer roads for Londoners.”

The TfL authority has a total inventory of 52,000 lights on the TfL Road Network (TLRN). The plan is to ultimately upgrade all of the lighting over ten years, but the first phase will focus on 35,000 lights that will be replaced by 2016 either as part of normal TfL maintenance or as targeted retrofits that can deliver the most savings. The first phase is projected to reduce emissions by 9700 metric tons annually while saving TfL GBP 1.85 million (about $3 million) — a 40% savings. The initial phase will cost GBP 10.9 million so payback will take a few years.

The savings will be extended in terms of both maintenance costs and maximum energy efficiency by a lighting network with controls and what TfL terms a Central Management System (CMS). TfL will use the system to set light levels to the minimum safe levels based on traffic and pedestrian activity, and to automatically detect required maintenance.

TfL said that it has already awarded a contract to supply the CMS to Harvard Engineering. Moreover, it said that the value of adaptive controls has already been proven out in other UK-based SSL trials. For example, London was one of the cities that took part in the LightSavers consortium trialing LED-based lighting and controls. The TfL also installed LED lighting in the Upper Thames Street tunnel two years back.

Burrillville, Rhode Island

Meanwhile, municipalities large and small continue to pursue SSL streetlight upgrades around the globe. The Pascoag Utility District in Burrillville, Rhode Island, for example, became the first entity in the state to test LEDs on 56 streetlights, according to the Providence Journal. The small project has resulted in a $1710 decrease annually in energy costs and $2535 decrease in maintenance costs.

But the impact of the project could be far greater. In part the success is leading Rhode Island to be the first state to force utilities to allow municipalities to buy energy-efficient streetlights and capitalize on savings. Work in the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission will allow municipalities to get a lower rate for lower-power fixtures, and an even lower rate when adaptive controls are applied. The action could make the state a leader in LED adoption for roadway lighting.

North East Lincolnshire

Back across the pond in the UK, London is far from alone in installing LED lighting. We recently covered a project in Bath involving LEDs installed on the A4 roadway. Moreover, the Yorkshire Post recently reported that the North East Lincolnshire Council was launching a project involving 16,500 streetlights.

The upfront cost of the project will be GBP 8.2 million that will be spent over the next two years. But the Council pointed to a combination of energy savings, safer roads, and reduced light pollution as justification for the expense.

London makes LED street light plans; US and UK projects

AOP Lights Up Songshan Cultural & Creative Park

AOP provides luminaires and corresponding control system while the lighting designers choose HP Linear light with a fixed color temperature (4000K) for the façade. IP68 dustproof and waterproof lighting fixtures are installed on observation windows on each floor to wash the façade of the b...

The Songshan Tabacco Factory, situated in Taipei City for almost 80 years, was built during the period of Japanese occupation in Taiwan to produce and process tobacco in order to provide a better income for the Japanese government. It stopped its tobacco industry in 1998 and was nominated as a municipal historical site in 2001. In recent years, the Factory has been transformed into a park for cultural, art and creative activities. Alliance Optotek Corporation (AOP) was commissioned to give it a new face by illuminating it in a culturally creative way.

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Located in the center of Taipei City, the Shongshan Tobacco Factory is built with a spacious hinterland. The well preserved complex courtyards illustrate the architectural style and excellent craftsmanship dating back to 1937. With the prosperous increase of Taiwan’s cultural and creative industry in recent years, a great number of designers and artists are eagerly seeking for a foundation to present their creativity to the public. The conversion of the historical Songshan Tobacco Factoryinto the Songshan Cultural Park now provides a perfect platform for cultural exhibitions and events.

There is only one new building in the park– Eslite Songshan Tobacco Factory Store which started operation in July, 2013. It offers a brand new comfortable commercial space for both domestic and offshore renowned designer brands to reside, becomeing a new landmark building for Taiwan’s cultural and creative industry. The new building is designed by an internationally renowned architect, Toyo Ito. The central designing concept lies in the green balcony which retracts upwards layer by layer. This balcony offers a function of overlooking the surrounding environment of Songshan Tobacco Factory relics, patio and lily ponds. It creates new interactions between the new and old buildings. When it comes to exterior lighting design, it is necessary to figure out some ways that can highlight the features of the building without disturbing the tranquil atmosphere.

AOP is responsible for this project. The company provides luminaires and corresponding control system while the lighting designers choose HP Linear light with a fixed color temperature (4000K) for the façade. IP68 dustproof and waterproof lighting fixtures are installed on observation windows on each floor to wash the façade of the building and present a steady and peaceful look at night. At the same time, such lighting also emphasizes the specific style of the building. For the grid structure on each side, SDC controllers and HP projection lamps of both high and low color temperatures (6000K/3000K) are used to create a dynamic and static performance. These interesting changes between light and shadow present a more vigorous aspect to the building.

The biggest challenge of this project is to satisfy lighting designers’ demand and insistence on light quality, control system, color temperature and so forth. The lighting plan for such a large and continuous scale actually imposes extremely high requirement on product stability and consistency for every single lamp. Alliance Optotek Corporation has already accumulated a relatively solid foundation for this which is the reason why owner of the project selected Alliance Optotek Corporation’s products.

aop-lights-up-songshan-cultural-creative-park-HP-Series

Project Name: Songshan Cultural & Creative Park

Location:

Taipei, Taiwan

Year completed:

2013

Client:

Songshan Cultural & Creative Park

Photography:

AOP

Architect:

Toyo Ito

Product Designer:

AOP

Product Applied:

HP Linear light, IP68, HP projection lamp

Website: http://www.aoptk.com

Related Website: http://www.songshanculturalpark.org/

AOP Lights Up Songshan Cultural & Creative Park

Notre Dame switches to LED lights in Purcell Pavilion

There are 116 lights in the ceiling of the Purcell Pavilion on the Notre Dame campus. Because all of those lights use up a lot of electricity the university switched to LED lights.

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NOTRE DAME, Ind. — There are 116 lights in the ceiling of the Purcell Pavilion on the Notre Dame campus. Because all of those lights use up a lot of electricity the university switched to LED lights.

“You actually have better color rendering. You’re going to see a truer color. What’s under an LED light source is very bright, very crisp, and very clean,” said Paul Kempf, Senior Director of Utilities and Maintenance.

Pregame introductions will now be done by simply dimming the lights.

The old lights only had two settings – on and off.

With these new lights, the Irish are sure to be one of the most visible teams in the country.

Kempf says he thinks Notre Dame is one of the first campuses in the country to use led technology on the basketball court.

Each fixture uses about 411 watts of energy compared to the old fixtures that used 1500 watts each.

Purcell Pavilion won’t be the last building in Notre Dame to use LEDs. The maintenance department is already planning to use that same technology to light the dome.

Notre Dame switches to LED lights in Purcell Pavilion

How One Light Bulb Can Change Your Life

What a Difference a Light Bulb Makes? People in developing countries are leapfrogging our 19th century technology. There’s a simple technology that transforms our lives every day, and yet we rarely give a passing thought to its existence (unless of course it flares out at an inopportune moment): ...

What a Difference a Light Bulb Makes? People in developing countries are leapfrogging our 19th century technology.

An M-Kopa solar system, in Kenya.

There’s a simple technology that transforms our lives every day, and yet we rarely give a passing thought to its existence (unless of course it flares out at an inopportune moment): the light bulb. And yet for more than a billion people in the developing world who lack access to electricity, this simple device can make an unimaginable difference.

Thomas Edison didn’t actually invent the light bulb, as is commonly credited; rather, he built on decades of research and perfected a practical method for delivering light powered by electricity. But because of Edison, in 1882 the first light bulbs graced buildings in New York City. A New York Herald reporter described it: “In stores and business places throughout the lower quarter of the city, there was a strange glow last night. The dim flicker of gas, often subdued and debilitated by grim and uncleanly globes, was supplanted by a steady glare, bright and mellow, which illuminated interiors and shown through windows fixed and unwavering. … It was the glowing incandescent lamps of Edison, used last evening for the first time.”

A family with a light bulb is a family with opportunities.

We’ve been reaping the benefits ever since. Consider this: Night drifts in through the window, and the room darkens. You casually stroll over and flip a switch, a movement so ingrained you barely notice you’ve done so. The bulbs blaze, the dusky shadows outside disappear. Your home once again turns bright as day. You read a book, maybe cook dinner, and the kids in the house settle in to do some homework.

But for people around the world who can’t flip that switch, their lives are ruled by that great ball of flaming plasma passing across the sky. To the extent that they do illuminate their homes after the sun dips below the horizon, they rely on candles or kerosene, both of which are expensive, dangerous, and polluting. In some areas of Africa, people spend from 10 to 30 percent of their income on refilling kerosene lamps, which are little more than tin cans with an open flame. Burning them releases millions of tons of carbon dioxide per year and contributes to climate change. And igniting them in a closed home can equate to smoking a couple of packs a cigarettes a day. Smoke from burning kerosene irritates the eyes, so students extinguish them instead of doing homework.

On the flip side, a family with a light bulb is a family with opportunities. Women can set up small shops in their homes, for instance, to sew or cook for extra money. Kids can study for school: A light may keep a girl or boy from dropping out. Families read, or may use the light to set up classes to teach others to read. A shop owner keeps his or her store open longer, earns more money, sends more kids to school—and those kids can then use the glow to read in the evenings. That’s why there are dozens of organizations around the world dedicated to nothing more than making sure that people have access to light.

Many of the communities without access to regular electricity are now leapfrogging our ancient 1800s technology. The ubiquitous incandescent bulb, the one perfected by Edison more than a century ago, basically works via a filament that, when electricity passes through, burns hot enough to emit light. But about 95 percent of that energy is wasted as heat. As a result, incandescents are being phased out by many governments; the U.S. slowly began phasing them out in 2012. Compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs, were invented in the 1940s and are significantly more energy efficient. But for decades their cooler tone turned off many consumers (though the color has gotten warmer, and CFLs have been replacing incandescents).

Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are the top new technology in lighting. When electricity is applied to an LED, electrons jump from one layer of material within the diode to another and give off light. They’re hardy, they last for years, and they’re incredibly energy efficient. The problem is that white LEDs are pricey. Americans might weigh the options and decide: Why shell out around $10 to $20 for an LED, even if it will last perhaps 25 times longer than the cheap incandescent?

But nearly unbreakable LEDs are easily paired with solar power, and so in poor communities, what seems excessive to us becomes a long-lasting investment that bypasses both inefficient incandescents and the lumbering power grid. Some nonprofits, such the Light Up the World Foundation, pair solar panels with LEDs. The organization Solar Sister provides women in Africa with training, marketing, and an inventory of solar-powered light bulbs. M-Kopa in Kenya provides a financing scheme along with the requisite technology; the organization sells an entire home system with solar panels, lights, and a cellphone charger, for about $200. Customers pay as little as about 45 cents a day and can pay off the debt in a year.

Companies are also focusing on the design of that LED light in the first place. D.light Solar provides rugged lights and chargers to M-Kopa and has already sold more than 1 million units. Nokero, founded in 2010 (the name comes from “no kerosene”), just this October released the latest version of their solar-powered lanterns. The elaborate $45 version can either plug into the grid or recharge via solar panels, and it includes outlets that allow users to power their mobile phones. Their simplified solar-powered bulb is only $5 to $6, the cheapest on the market. They’ve already sold hundreds of thousands of units throughout the developing world through commercial distributors, nonprofits, and governments.

That light can do more than improve someone’s financial situation: A light bulb can save a life. When Laura Stachel, an obstetrician and gynecologist in California, was on a research trip to Nigeria in 2008, the lights went out during an emergency C-section. She was able to supply her flashlight, but she quickly realized that surgeries were postponed, and people died, simply due to a lack of light. This was true not only in Nigeria, but all around Africa. She returned home and with her husband designed a so-called “solar suitcase,” now the foundation of her nonprofit, We Care Solar. The suitcases include solar panels to be mounted on a hospital roof, a battery for energy storage, rechargeable LED lights and a headlamp, walkie-talkies for communication, and a fetal heart-rate monitor. Today, these solar-powered lights are saving lives in 27 countries in Africa, Asia, and Central America. (Stachel was named a CNN 2013 Top 10 Hero.)

It may seem like a throwaway technology to us. But for perhaps 20 percent of the world population, a functioning, reliable light bulb is a godsend.

How One Light Bulb Can Change Your Life

Washington Metro Goes Green & Saves Green with Philips Performance Lighting Contract

Washington Metro Goes Green & Saves Green with Philips Performance Lighting Contract, Delivering on Sustainability Goals with 15 Million kWh Saved Annually.
Innovative new multi-year, turn-key lighting-as-a-service model gives WMATA brighter, safer LED lighting for garages, with none of the...

Philips, the global leader in LED lighting systems was recently awarded a ten year performance lighting contract with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) that will upgrade the lighting in WMATA 25 parking garages. Over 13,000 lighting fixtures will be converted to an innovative, custom-designed LED lighting solution that will reduce energy usage by 68 percent or 15 million kWatt hours per year and provide real time data on energy consumption. The new Philips system is a first of its kind and will not only make the garages brighter and safer for WMATA’s 66,000 parking garage customers, it will remove over 11,000 metric tons of CO2 from the environment. Philips will monitor and maintain the lighting solution which will be financed through energy cost savings, requiring no up-front capital costs.

WMATA was created by an interstate compact in 1967 to plan, develop, build, finance and operate a balanced regional transportation system in the National Capital Area. Today, Metrorail serves 86 stations and operates a 106 mile rail system. A fleet of 1,116 rail cars provides service seven days a week. The organization continually looks for ways to improve the safety and experience of users and recently decided to upgrade their aging high pressure sodium lighting system to an innovative LED system from Philips that could provide white light exactly when and where it was needed. Additionally, the anticipated carbon footprint reduction in moving to the more energy efficient system is the equivalent to removing over 2,300 cars from the road or the amount of CO2 that 280,000 trees would remove from the atmosphere over a ten year period.

Moreover, Philips has worked closely with WMATA to gain a deep understanding of their needs, and will tailor the lighting in each garage to ensure that it delivers the optimum light levels for that structure. This will ensure that WMATA’s customers feel safe in the structures in off-hours, while monitoring will allow for quick response times should there be a system related issue. Because Philips is ensuring light levels and delivering the solutions as a service that is paid for by the energy savings, WMATA is able to upgrade their infrastructure without long term impact to capital and operating budgets.

Manufactured in Philips’ facilities located in San Marcos, Texas, the system is open and flexible, allowing it to be combined with other building automation systems. It will cover both the interior and exterior lighting of the parking garages and will include Philips’ latest site-specific systems, the G3 and EcoForm luminaires. Both feature the latest Philips LUXEON LED technology, as well as a modular design that can be configured to the lighting needs of each garage. An adaptive motion response system and innovative wireless controls allow the system to dim when no one is present and seamlessly increase light levels when a space is occupied – creating a safe environment while achieving even higher energy savings.

“With digital lighting systems we really need to break with conventional thinking and look to the services and delivery models of the software industry to understand the future of lighting and how we can remove one of the greatest barriers to adoption – the up-front costs,” said Bruno Biasiotta, president and CEO of Philips Lighting Americas. “As a forward-thinking organization, WMATA has taken a holistic view of their parking garage solution and worked with us to finance the system through energy-savings costs, while ensuring they could deliver on their priorities. One of the benefits of this system is that real-time access to actionable data ‘future-proofs’ the system, allowing Metro to continually adapt to their needs through real time monitoring and measurement.”

Philips will manage the installation process then continually manage the monitoring of the system over the duration of the contract, ensuring that the system is running optimally and making any necessary adjustments that can help WMATA better serve its customers.

For more information about innovative Philips lighting systems, please visit http://www.usa.lighting.philips.com/

Washington Metro Goes Green & Saves Green with Philips Performance Lighting Contract