Enhancing Urban Illumination:
The Advantages of Tunable White Street Lighting
Street lighting plays a crucial role in urban infrastructure, providing safety and security to residents after sundown. Traditional street lighting systems have been in use for decades, primarily relying on fixed, often high-intensity single-color light (amber or white). Advances in smart lighting technology have given rise to a more versatile and adaptive solution: Smart Tunable White Street Lighting.
What is Tunable White Street Lighting?
Tunable White, also known as Dynamic Tunable White, street lighting is a lighting system that allows for the dynamic adjustment of both light intensity and color temperature. Unlike traditional street lights that emit a fixed light, Tunable White Lighting systems can be programmed to vary the light’s color temperature and intensity (brightness) throughout the night. This means that the lighting can be cool and bright during peak traffic hours and warm and dim during late-night hours when there is less activity.
The Benefits of Tunable White Street Lighting
- Well-being of Humans
- Well-being of Wildlife
- Improve Visibility and Safety
- Drive Energy Efficiency
Well-being of Humans
One of the most significant advantages of Smart Tunable White Street Lighting is its ability to create a perfect night-time environment that is beneficial for human well-being.
Bright, artificial lighting often disrupts the circadian rhythm (body’s internal sleep-wake clock) of humans, leading to health issues, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular, and neurological problems like sleep disorders.
By changing the color temperature to warm and reducing the brightness of street lights during late-night hours, Tunable White Lighting creates a calm setting that promotes sleep and overall well-being.
Well-being of Wildlife
Tunable White Lighting also contributes to the well-being of wildlife and nocturnal ecosystems.
Excessive artificial light, in other words, light pollution, poses a serious threat to nocturnal wildlife and local ecosystems. It can confuse animals’ navigation, change prey-predatory relations, alter competitive interactions, and cause physiological harm. Light pollution also has a negative impact on aquatic primary producers, such as algae, phytoplankton, and marine plants as well as on wide species of insects, flora and fauna.
By reducing the light output and using warmer color temperatures, the Tunable White Lighting solution helps minimize the adverse impact on surrounding natural environments and protect wildlife.
Improve Visibility and Safety
Dynamic Tunable White Lighting helps deliver ideal illumination that improves visibility and safety on roads.
During clear weather conditions, cool white light certainly helps keep us alert and awake. However, during snow, rain, or fog, such white light may interfere with road visibility. In fact, it can blind the drivers! In such instances, amber/yellow lighting is the best option to improve the visibility on the road.
By setting the right color temperature through a remote lighting management system, Tunable White Lighting helps create ideal lighting conditions for different weathers, improving road visibility and safety.
Drive Energy Efficiency
Smart Tunable White Lighting solution also helps save energy.
This innovative lighting solution not only changes the color temperature but also the intensity or brightness of street lights. During the off-peak hours, when no one’s around, dim the street lights and set the color temperature to warm amber. This way, energy is saved, light pollution is reduced, and a perfect night-time setting is created that is beneficial to both humans and wildlife.
Conclusion
Tunable White Street Lighting represents a significant leap forward in urban lighting technology. Its impact on the well-being of humans and wildlife, ability to improve visibility, and drive energy efficiency make Smart Tunable White Lighting a compelling choice for cities looking to enhance their street lighting infrastructure. By embracing this smart street lighting solution, urban areas can create safer, energy-efficient, and more welcoming environments for their residents.