GreenGeezer

Dark Sky Association Fights Light Pollution

Of all the experiences I had while living in Peru as a student, by far the most amazing was seeing the night sky from high in the Andes, where the atmosphere was so clear and dry, and the stars so bright and close, that it was overwhelming.  Years later I experienced something akin to this (though nowhere near as intense) in Belize.  The International Dark-Sky Association is seeking to educate policymakers, planners, and others about the beauty of the dark sky and the light pollution that is making it more and more rare. In Cherry Springs State Park  in north central Pennsylvania, the Milky Way can still be seen, according to an article in the New York Times (9/14/07), and people are flocking there to see it. "Chip Harrison, who manages Cherry Springs and seven other state parks, said only 10 percent of the United States population has seen a true dark sky, but a growing number are doing so at Cherry Springs."

On the IDSA website there is good information on approved light sources that not only save energy but keep light pointed down, so that the night sky can be visible in all its glory...

Hybrid Lighting Brings Sunlight In Even without Windows

Hybrid lighting, currently available only for large-scale commercial buildings, is an exciting new technology that could greatly lower buildings' carbon emissions.  Marilyn Brown, of the Georgia Institute of Technology, worked with scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop it.

Marilyn Brown: "So you have roof mounted collectors that concentrate the sunlight into optical fibers. And these fibers carry the sunlight into the building, into light fixtures. These light fixtures also contain electric lamps. For instance, they may be combined with fluorescent tubes. So that, whether there is sunshine or not, the lighting in that room will be very bright and appealing." 

Sunlight Direct plans to start beta testing a residential model in 2008.

Mercury and Compact Fluorescents

We have been pushing the use of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs), even though they contain tiny amounts of mercury.  CFLs still win the anti-pollution/anti-energy waste war because:

• Much less mercury is generated at the coal-burning power plant level to generate the electricity to light the bulbs: CFLs 2.4 milligrams  vs. incandescent 10 milligrams (New York Times 1/13/07, p. A2)
• The CFLs are just so much more energy-efficient than incandescents, using 2/3 less energy, lasting 10 times longer, and generating 70% less heat, according to the  EPA
• Though a tiny amount of mercury is sealed into CFLs and is essential to their function, if disposed of properly, danger can be avoided.

The Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers has a helpful page providing the facts and urging us to lobby retailers to provide CFL recycling bins so that these bulbs can be easily disposed of.

The EPA has been lobbying retailers who sell the bulbs to provide easier ways to recycle them, according to this NPR interview:

"The head of the Environmental Protection Agency program concedes that not enough has been done to urge people to recycle CFL bulbs....'I share your frustration that there isn't a national infrastructure for the proper recycling of this product,' says Wendy Reed, who manages EPA's Energy Star program. That programs gives the compact bulbs its 'energy star' seal of approval.                        

She says that even though fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, using them contributes less mercury to the environment than using regular incandescent bulbs. That's because they use less electricity — and coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of mercury emissions in the air.       

'The compact fluorescent light bulb is a product people can use to positively influence the environment to… prevent mercury emissions as well as greenhouse gas emissions. And it's something that we can do now — and it's extremely important that we do do it,' Reed says. 'And the positive message is, if you recycle them, if you dispose of them properly, then they're doing a world of good.'Reed says the agency has been urging stores that sell the bulbs to help recycle them.                        

'EPA is actively engaged with trying to find a solution that works for these retailers around recycling the product, because it's really, really important,' Reed says."

                        

 

Law of Large Numbers

Fast Company (Issue 108) helps us fathom the power of compact fluorescent light bulbs (see "swirl" bulb on the left with incandescent bulb on right):

"What that means is that if every one of 110 million American
households bought just one [compact flourescent] bulb, took it home,
and screwed it in the place of an ordinary 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people. One bulb swapped
out, enough electricity saved to power all the homes in Delaware and
Rhode Island. In terms of oil not burned, or greenhouse gases not
exhausted into the atmosphere, one bulb is equivalent to taking 1.3 million
cars off the roads.  That's the law of large numbers--a small action, multiplied by 110 million."

David Has Been Obsessing About Lighting Again...

MR16
Originally uploaded by cgulyas2002.

David has been thinking about what to do with your MR16s while you are waiting for the LED lamps to come down in price:

"MR16 lamps are used a lot in commercial display and restaurant lighting, and in some residential apps.  MR16’s look like little car headlights, and are about two inches in diameter. 

They provide a brilliant white halogen light, and are mostly used in 12volt systems.  Many people mistakenly think halogens save energy, because they are low voltage.  But a 50 watt MR16 in a 12 volt system consumes 50 watts.  Then you need a transformer to step 120 volts to 12volts and some energy is lost to heat in the transformer.  Add to this the heat coming from the lamp itself, and about 90% of the energy becomes heat waste.  But now you can replace this energy hog with a newer, more energy efficient lamp, the MR IR16.  The IR stands for infrared, and has these characteristics as GE describes:

'HIR stands for Halogen-IR. An IR (infrared) coating is placed on the filament tube of some of our halogen lamps. This multiple layer coating not only absorbs UV but also re-directs IR (heat) back onto the filament. By re-directing the IR back to the filament, the lamp produces more light for the same amount of energy and the amount of heat generated by the lamp is reduced when compared to standard Halogen products. Therefore HIR saves money by lowering UV emissions, reducing energy costs, and lessening A/C loads.'

Sweet.

Sylvania makes the same thing: the Tru-Aim IR, and you can save money and energy by substituting a standard 50watt MR16 with a 37watt Tru-Aim IR to get about the same luminous intensity.  The IR lamps cost a few bucks more each, but the gain in efficiency is considerable: 35 – 40%!  Many suppliers and electricians are unaware of this product, so special order them, or get them at Lightology  or other lighting suppliers.

          

Waiting for Affordable LED Lighting

David Gulyas ruminates on tomorrow's lighting:

I’m real excited about the new LED lamping and fixtures that will soon be available:  technology that provides near infinite control over color rendition, doesn’t change when dimmed, has 50,000+ hour life spans, and consumes a fraction of the energy of incandescent and even fluorescent.  There happens to be a new LED white light that is intended for residential and commercial applications.  It is the Ew MR and is roughly equivalent to an MR16, which is a high intensity halogen lamp delivering a beautiful specular light to art work, or wall washing.  You can see the LED Ew MR here:

Anyway, my goal is to design a hybrid system using a modestly priced track and integrate the Ew MR lamps with that when they are available.  I did purchase a nice bendable monorail LINE voltage track from ConTech, with heads that accept LINE voltage MR 16’s.  But the Ew MR are 12 volt, and require an integral transformer.  Should I have bought a 12 volt monorail now, with 12 volt MR 16’s, to more easily switch out to the Ew MR which are also 12 volt?  Are we all confused yet??  Not to worry.  I have it all figured out, and will float one or two Ew MR’s on my track on fixtures that have integral transformers.  Can’t afford much more than that, as they cost about 100 bucks each!  NOT TO WORRY.  They will drop in price soon.  But I can’t wait to be the first one on the block with my very own (soon to be very, very green when the price drops) Ew MR fixture!

LED Lights and Sola Tubes

David says to check out the Alternative Energy Store's lighting section, where you can see "SolaTubes" and LED's.  Why did he not suggest fluorescents?  According to Dave:   

"Most people know about the compact fluorescents already.  The 'warm' fluorescents, around 3000k - 3500k are great for replacing bulbs in lamps and recessed fixtures.  The quality of light they produce for these fixtures isn't bad, but there is a brave new world of LED (light emitting diode) fixtures waiting to be unleashed into the market.  This approach to lamping will vastly improve lighting on all fronts, including energy conservation.  In typical incandescent lighting, about 80% of energy is lost to heat!  Fluorescents do much better, and LED's will provide even greater efficacy.  LED lamping is still not up to the luminous intensity of incandescent, but I'm betting it will get in the ballpark soon.  Also, check out the Sola Tube  natural light source products."