1. Gas discharge has been, until very
recently, the most common and
efficient method for converting electric-
ity to light especially for outdoor appli-
cations. Gas discharge lighting includes
mercury vapour, low and high pressure
sodium, metal halide and induction
lamps. Most outdoor lighting will last
between 35,000 and 50,000 hours which
help to reduce maintenance costs.
But with higher efficiencies comes
additional complexity which in this
case is required to deal with extremely
high bulb pressures and/or tempera-
tures, mitigation of harmful ultraviolet
and/or infrared radiation and methods
of containing, transporting and dispos-
ing of harmful chemicals including
mercury. Other limitations of gas dis-
charge lighting include large and heavy
fixtures as well as lengthy start-up
and/or re-strike time in many cases.
But some of these issues are being
further minimized by means of newer,
more promising induction lighting in
which gases are ionized by means of
high intensity radio waves in the 13.6
and 2.65 Mhz radio frequency range.
Benefits include instant strike and
restart time, easier maintenance and
longer life (up to 100,000 hours).
Despite these impressive life spans,
i.e., for night use only 100,000 repre-
sents 21 years, efficiencies drop as
much as 50% over time. This decay fac-
tor combined with the rapid develop-
ment of newer more efficient lighting
technologies means that earlier replace-
ment can be economically warranted
due to energy savings.
This is already happening in various
Canadian municipalities, towns and
cities including Banff and the City of
Calgary which initiated an Enviros-
mart street light retrofit program.
Newer lower wattage lights with sharp
or full cutoff features are being imple-
mented to achieve energy saving as
high as to $2,000,000 per year which,
by the way, indirectly results in
reduced CO2 emissions.
Conventional street lighting, which
has not changed in nearly four decades,
utilizes a dropped diffraction lens design
for broad light distribution. But recently
manufacturers have introduced a new
flat lens design. These are more efficient
By Graydon Tranquilla, P.Eng.
Advancements In
Outdoor Lighting
A night-time view of the
earth’s lights from space.
Image courtesy NASA
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2. January / February 2008 ELECTRICAL LINE 67
in part due to a full or sharp cutoff fea-
ture that redirects stray light towards the
intended target while eliminating glare
and light pollution (Figure 1). Lighting
distribution is reduced from 220
degrees down to 180 degrees or as low
as 120 degrees. Figure 2 shows how
unwanted stray light and often danger-
ous glare is eliminated. These methods
of lighting meet the minimum require-
ments set down by IES, (Illuminating
Engineering Society).
In view of the much improved lamp
life, significant forethought is wise due
to ever increasing environmental regu-
lations. Lighting, once self-regulated
by agencies such as IES, IESNA and
others is now impacted by new provin-
cial and federal but mostly municipal
regulations. As an example the district
of Lacombe imposed environmental
regulations on outdoor lighting for the
Joffre facility.
Light pollution is becoming a major
concern among scientists, environ-
mentalists, as well as the general pop-
ulation. NASA’s night view from
space provides a dramatic illustration
of light pollution in North America.
Most of this light pollution comes
from street lighting. Other major con-
tributors include shopping malls and
especially car dealerships. Elimination
of most of this light pollution benefits
everyone and reduces electrical utility
load. Note, however, that the electrical
utilities still require significant night
time electrical load to minimize elec-
tric grid fluctuations.
Because gas discharge lighting
requires significant heat in order to cre-
ate light, additional efforts to further
increase efficiency are very limited.
Hence other technologies are becom-
ing serious contenders for the future
lighting market.
High Efficiency And
SuperBright LED Lighting
The newest development is in the
realm of low voltage semiconductor
lighting known as high efficiency or
superbright light emitting diodes. How
efficient are they? While a 15 watt fluo-
rescent bulb produces as many lumens
of light as a 60 watt incandescent bulb,
Circle 54 on Reader Service Card Circle 55 on Reader Service Card
Figure 1
Figure 2
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3. 68 ELECTRICAL LINE January / February 2008
superbright LED bulbs only require 6
watts to produce the same lumens output
of a 60 watt incandescent bulb. Indica-
tions are that this efficiency can be fur-
ther improved.
Shown below is a platinum dragon
high efficiency light from Osram
Optosemiconductors. This technology
should not be underestimated and is
already beginning to appear in munici-
pal and commercial sectors as well as
numerous trade magazines. Electrical
Line’s November/December 2007
issue contains two related items in the
Industry News section – one on CRS
LED technology and another on
OSRAM Optosemiconductors high
efficiency LED lighting recently
implemented in the resort town of
Banff in the Canadian Rockies.
The graph entitled “Evolution of
Lighting”, on page 70, shows how this
new technology continues to evolve.
Scientists predict that superbright LED
lighting will exceed the efficiency and
lifespan of all other lighting methods by
the year 2020, capturing potentially
85% of the lighting market.
Because semiconductor lighting is so
efficient and compact, an incredible
amount of light can be produced with no
harmful radiation and very little heat
loss. There are almost no harmful chem-
icals contained within these lamps and
in many cases the overall fixture size
and weight is substantially reduced.
This ultimately leads to lighter and/or
more wind tolerant support structures.
Semiconductor lights are essentially
point source lights that may need to be
arrayed. In either case they tend
already to incorporate sharp cut-off
light distribution in their design. Also
the technology lends itself extremely
well to aesthetically appealing, full
spectrum white light although specific
colour choices are still an option.
But because they are so efficient
they fall under the low voltage lighting
category. Therefore existing 120/277
volt lighting circuits do not readily
accommodate them. On the other
hand high efficiency and superbright
LED lighting is exceptionally well
suited for use with solar systems. But
eventually semiconductor lighting
has the potential to substantially
reduce the amount of copper required
to light facilities.
Shown here are the LED lighting fixtures illuminating Banff’s Town Hall Square
Circle 56 on Reader Service Card
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4. Industrial Lighting
Due to unique requirements of industry
including the oil and gas industry, they
are among the first to utilize high effi-
ciency and superbright LED lighting.
Industrial lighting for hazardous locations
remains costly due to the need for bulky
CSA approved explosion-proof housings
and temperature ratings as detailed in sec-
tion 18 of the Canadian Electrical code.
Most or all of these complexities can be
eliminated by using high efficiency or
superbright LED lighting. NemaLUX is
one company that already offers CSA
approved Class 1 Division 2 approved
LED lighting for process skid interiors
that are T4A rated. The explosion-proof
housing is not required.
Many remote well sites rely heavily
upon use of solar/battery packages for
electrical power. Where there is also a
need for lighting, semiconductor light-
ing meets the need without overloading
existing solar systems.
Nemalux lighting has already been
successfully implemented in the fol-
lowing areas:
• Compressors and remote compressor/
well sites
• Mining industry
• Offshore oil rigs
• Tugboats
• Crane lighting
• Lease/plant safety signs
• Lease/plant roadways
How LED Lighting Works
To fully understand this technology
would require in-depth knowledge of
quantum mechanics and semiconductors.
The basic principle is that electrons fall
into gaps or holes in the semiconductor
allowing them to efficiently convert to
photons, i.e. light. Small amounts of heat
are produced not by the LEDs but by
resistors used to limit LED current. How-
ever various methods are being devised
to eliminate resistors altogether. Because
of the extremely small size of each LED,
mini-sized reflectors are arrayed with the
LEDs to maximize the light distribution.
Indoor Lighting
For convenient direct replacement,
LED and superbright LEDs are being
configured to accommodate 120 and
277 volt circuits and existing lamps/fix-
tures with tremendous success. Here are
two examples of CRS LED technology
showing a long tube fluorescent bulb
replacement and a low voltage MR16.
Conclusion
The future of lighting looks very
bright indeed. While manufacturers
continue to offer better products, the
onus remains on all those involved
with bidding, purchasing and
installing lighting to work with end-
users to provide energy efficient and
environmentally friendly lighting
solutions for outdoor applications.
These efforts should help to reduce the
rate of global warming and make it
possible for all to live in a less intru-
sive lighting environment.
Graydon Tranquilla is an electrical
engineer living in Calgary actively
pursuing leading edge energy efficient
technologies for industrial applications.
Circle 58 on Reader Service Card
70 ELECTRICAL LINE January / February 2008
150
100
50
0
1920 1940 1960 1980 2000
LuminousEfficiency(Lumens/Watt)
Evolution of Lighting
YEAR
Incandescents
Fluorescents
Electrical Discharge Lamps
Light Emitting
Diodes (LEDS)
Superbright
Hyperbright
High Pressure Sodium
Metal Halide
Mercury Vapour
Tungsten - Halogen
Conventional
LED fluorescent tube replacement.
LED MR16 replacement lamp
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