LED Lighting for a brighter future!

Historically, lighting in farming and agriculture was seen purely from a human standpoint. While all the sound and fury has been coming from the human-centric lobby, there’s been a quiet revolution going on in the agricultural sector. LED technology has brought massive change to the lighting for horticulture sector and the rearing of livestock. By creating LED systems that offer special spectral outputs, crop and livestock production is enhanced, reducing costs and increasing profits for farmers, while at the same time improving the quality of the product. Historically, lighting in agriculture was seen purely from a human standpoint. It may be that our light sources left us with little option than to make the best use, or what we perceived as best use, of those sources. Now that we have a ‘tunable’ light source we are able to focus on providing the plants, birds and beasts with the best growing environment. Horticultural lighting Research has identified specific wavelengt

  Niagara Falls unveils its dazzling new $4 million LED makeover which illuminates the water with a rainbow of colour The new system is also installed at the Table Rock Centre and includes 1400 individual LED luminaires supplied by Stanley Electric. The Niagara Falls Illumination Board has unveiled a new LED-based dynamic lighting system that makes the famed falls even more spectacular at night. The twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and Niagara Falls, New York collaborated on the $4 million solid-state lighting (SSL) project that was undertaken by a consortium of lighting specialist and contracting firms including Ecco Electric, Salex and Mulvey & Banani Lighting Sceneworks, and Stanley Electric. 'The newly enhanced nightly illumination of Niagara Falls will capture the imagination of the millions of visitors, who come to witness the sheer power and beauty that is Niagara,'  stated Mark Thomas, chair of the Niagara Falls Illumination Board. 

  The Robert F Kennedy bridge, which links the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx together, is part of the state wide project to light New York's Hudson river bridges with LED. The George Washington Bridge, one of the most famous bridges in New York City, will get an LED overhaul as part of Governor Andrew Cuomo's plan to revitalise New York's river crossings. New York City's iconic Hudson River bridges are set to undergo an LED make-over, in a move that mirrors London's 'Illuminated River' project to revolutionise its own river-scape. Nine New York bridges will receive an LED overhaul during the first phase of the $500 million project, ranging from the Henry Hudson Bridge in the Bronx to the Crossbay Veterans Memorial Bridge in the Rockaways. It is planned that the new lighting schemes will be able to be programmed to salute historic moments, sporting events and national occasions such as the Fourth of July.  This mirrors

Streetlights powered by footsteps are unveiled in Las Vegas. PLUS: World’s first live li-fi test takes place at LuxLive. AND: Lux Award winners revealed at a ceremony in London. Lux Today December 6th 2016.

With the advent of LED lighting, the relationship between legacy dimming technology and LED lamps has become an uneasy one.  Here MEGAMAN® shows how to overcome such difficulties. New for old? One of the big areas for dimming problems comes when home owners decide to switch out all of their traditional lamps for LEDs, but don’t change the dimmers at the same time.  This is largely down to the lack of public knowledge about the fact that trying to combine old and new technologies can lead to all kinds of issues.  The problems that can occur when new and old are combined include: lamp flicker, flashing, an inability to dim as low as required and failures with the LED and/or dimmer.  Even if the LED lamps seem to initially respond well to dimming, over time, the use of LED light sources on a legacy dimmer can have longer-term implications that lead to call-backs, weeks or months after installation. The root of the problem Almost all legacy dimmers designed for incandescent

Berlin is undergoing a street lighting revolution, 5,500 LED street lights have already been deployed, while a further 2,500 are being fitted this year. The colourful Wilmersdorf district of Berlin now features 'on demand' street lighting, which reacts to how busy the street is. An intelligent wireless lighting network has been installed in the Wilmersdorf district of Berlin. The street lights are able to adjust their brightness based on real-time human presence. The intelligent lighting minimises energy waste and acts to lower light pollution by ensuring that streetlights do not burn at full capacity throughout the night when the streets are often deserted. The sensor network is a major breakthrough in Berlin’s street lighting renovation efforts. 5,500 LED street lights have already been deployed, while a further 2,500 are being fitted this year. The innovative street lighting approach was praised by Christian Gaebler, permanent secretary at Berlin’s Se

The economic activity generated by the lighting industry will have to fall significantly if we are at address climate change, a veteran environmentalist has declared. Former Friends of the Earth chief Jonathan Porritt says we must accept a reduction of the historic proportion of GDP attributable to lighting and its associated energy requirements if we are to have an impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Delivering the inaugural annual lecture of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers, he said: ‘We need to find ways of delivering increasingly sophisticated lighting services to the whole of humankind…in ways that cause considerably less impact, which probably needs less total economic activity. ‘Lighting is responsible for anywhere between 16 and 18 per cent of total electricity consumption in the world today, depending on how you do the calculations. So this is an absolutely massive part of the challenge. And although it’s rarely spoken about in those terms, people are beginnin

New lighting to change view of Niagara Falls. PLUS: Cambridge University buys circadian lamps to wake sleepy students. AND: Can LED boost health benefits of cannabis? Lux Today November 8 2016.

  Earlier in the month internet provider OVH was targeted in an attack that involved the manipulation of 150,000 IoT devices. Some of the world's top websites were taken offline due to a recent DDoS attack that was carried out by hijacking IoT devices. Hackers harnessing Internet of Things (IoT) devices, including smart lights, have crashed some of the world’s biggest websites including Spotify, PayPal and Twitter. It is no secret, as revenues from LEDs fade, that the lighting industry is placing a big pile of gambling chips on the success of the Internet of Things, but the hack marks the second major security breach in as many months, suggesting IoT is not yet ready for the big leagues. A handful of the world’s top websites were targeted during the attack, including The New York Times, CNN and Amazon, making this the most high profile attack to date and one aimed at disrupting the very fabric of the internet in the United States. The attack was carried by

Thorn Lighting is helping to sponsor the “Sleepless Light Exercises” exhibition at The Canterbury Festival this year by supplying PopPack T26 Batten luminaires for use on a sculpture.  The annual event, which is taking place at the Chaper House in Canterbury Cathedral, is one of the most important cultural and contemporary art events to be held in the South East of England. The exhibition by international artist Bernardi Roig, working with the University of Creative Arts (Canterbury),  uses life size sculptures made from polyester resin leaning against a wall and covered in 200 of Thorn’s PopPack 58W Battens.  The stark white of the sculpture, combined with the powerful illumination from the fluorescent lamps, creates a dramatic contrast within the surrounding Gothic stained glass window space.  Roig’s work explores themes such as human isolation, loneliness, the limits of knowledge and the body’s deterioration. The artist has created a tense relationship between figure and ba

Poor IoT security crashes world’s leading websites. PLUS: Vatican LED sets stage for late night hymns. AND: The smart lighting revolution is coming to….Swaziland? Lux Today November 1 2016.

Megaman, a leading LED lighting solution provider, is proud to announce the launch of a new selection of GU10 lamps. Megaman, a leading LED lighting solution provider, is proud to announce the launch of a new selection of GU10 lamps that incorporate the company’s new Hybrid Reflector and U-DIM™ technology.                                                     A new 4W (250lm) GU10 and 5W (360lm) dimming GU10, with 25,000 hours’ life, are now available in Megaman’s popular Economy range, whilst the Professional range sees the addition of a new 5.5W (500lm) and 7W (550lm) dimming GU10, both with 50,000 hours life.  All of the new dimming GU10’s incorporate Megaman’s revolutionary U-DIM™ technology as standard – making the lamps compatible with a wider possible range of existing dimmers, whether they are leading-edge or trailing-edge. The new 7W addition to the Professional Range also features Megaman’s new Hybrid Reflector, providing excellent optics, high efficiency and preci

EU pledges millions to tackle IoT security threat. PLUS: Reykjavik turns off street lights for better aurora view. AND: US speedway becomes first to go all LED. Lux Today October 18 2016

A new survey of hospitality professionals has found that lighting is an integral part of the package when it comes to encouraging guests to stay longer and make repeat visits to a restaurant, hotel or bar. 86% of hospitality professionals believe lighting plays a very important role in the customer experience.  The findings of the survey, sponsored by Megaman, reveal that lighting is big business in the hospitality sector: only 1% of those surveyed think lighting is of no importance in the customer experience. The findings show that good lighting encourages guests to stay longer and come back for more: 72% have left a venue earlier than planned because it was too brightly- or poorly-lit 74% have stayed longer than planned because the lighting made them feel relaxed and welcome. Respondents thought a well-lit venue is: “somewhere that draws you in” (36% of respondents) “somewhere to spend time” (34%) “somewhere to go back to” (26%)  none of the above (4%). The s

An experimental human centric lighting scheme has been installed at Lindeborgskolan school in Malmo, Sweden, aimed at improving pupil performance. The human centric system replaced a fluorescent lighting scheme, a change which pupils claim has improved their concentration, making them feel more alert throughout the school day. The automatically changing light variation includes a period of intense rather blue light in the morning, to wake the pupils up, and a warmer light during other parts of the day. Teachers are able to change the colour intensity of the lighting to create a calming or a stimulating atmosphere when necessary. The human centric scheme has also eradicated flicker. The new lighting was funded by the Department of Internal Services in the hope of bringing Swedish schools firmly into the twenty first century. You can find out more about the Malmo project by watching the video above. You can also learn more about the debate surrounding human centric lighti

BHS is attempting to reinvent itself as a trendy online lighting shop. BHS has always gone against the grain when it comes to lighting by selling some interesting designs that belie its sedate image. Moribund retailer BHS, which closed its doors earlier in the year after decades as a High Street staple, is attempting to reinvent itself as a trendy online lighting store. The company, which went into administration in April, has launched a new website, which features a whole host of lighting fixtures that would not look out of place in London’s trendy Shoreditch or Dalston. As well as featuring traditional BHS staples such as middle-of-the-road bedding and beige cushions, the new website also sells retro filament lamps hanging from distressed railway sleepers, glass pendants and even the perennial hipster lighting favorite, the squirrel cage. Any BHS regular will, no doubt, note the new lighting as a very considerable change of step for the formerly sedate and matro

A familiar face: One of the latest entrants in the residential IoT lighting market already has already been on the premises of over 14 million homes. It's the UK's leading power utility, British Gas. [Pic: Nissan] British Gas, the UK power utility that is blazing smart home trails with its Hive connected heating system, is now staking a claim to the residential smart lighting market by adding LED lamps to the system, a move that could signal the arrival of other major utilities into the home smart lighting arena. Through a partnership with LED company Aurora Group, British Gas in June began offering intelligent Hive-branded LED bulbs that tie into the Hive home internet hub, allowing users to wirelessly turn lights on and off and brighten and dim them from anywhere via an app. Last week, it beefed up the offering with bulbs that will change colours and colour temperature. The LED lamps, supplied by Aurora, are the latest addition to the ever-expanding Hive ecosystem.