That’s the year the International Dark-Sky Association, a coalition that opposes light pollution, started worrying that blue-rich LEDs could be “a disaster for dark skies and the environment,” says Chris Monrad, a director of IDA and a lighting consultant in Tucson. And these concerns have been heaped on the complaints of astronomers, who as far back as 2009 have criticized the new lights. The harsh glare of certain blue-rich designs is now thought to disrupt people’s sleep patterns and harm nocturnal animals. homes for one year-by converting all remaining non-LED outdoor lighting to LEDs.įor some, those first LED lights have been a fiasco. Consultants at the firm Navigant, in Chicago, have estimated that the United States could save 662 trillion British thermal units-the energy needed to power 5.8 million typical U.S. Another 60 percent goes toward lighting parking lots and garages, and much of that energy is still produced by fossil-fired power plants. In the United States, street lighting accounts for a whopping 30 percent of all the energy used to generate electricity for outdoor lighting. If the switch to LEDs had needed any more support, it came from growing evidence about climate change. They can last twice as long as ordinary sodium-vapor streetlights, and their prices have dropped to within range of the competition.
LEDs are, after all, the most energy-efficient lighting option on the market. Like me, you might have welcomed this development. You may have noticed them going up in your town’s streets and parking lots: a new generation of pole-mounted lights that pour down a cool torrent of lumens from an array of light-emitting diodes. Learn more → Join the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences and get access to all of Spectrum’s articles, archives, PDF downloads, and other benefits. Join the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences and get access to all of Spectrum’s articles, podcasts, and special reports. For more exclusive content and features, consider Joining IEEE. Enjoy more free content and benefits by creating an account Saving articles to read later requires an IEEE Spectrum account The Institute content is only available for members Downloading full PDF issues is exclusive for IEEE Members Access to Spectrum's Digital Edition is exclusive for IEEE Members Following topics is a feature exclusive for IEEE Members Adding your response to an article requires an IEEE Spectrum account Create an account to access more content and features on IEEE Spectrum, including the ability to save articles to read later, download Spectrum Collections, and participate in conversations with readers and editors. Close Stay ahead of the latest technology trends.
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