Lighting in the News | January 2017
Exciting things have been happening in the lighting industry. In case your newsletter was lost in the mail, here’s what December brought us.
Niagara Falls Gets an Upgrade
For over twenty years, Niagara Falls has been lit by 21 xenon spotlights, but not anymore. The $4 million project has taken several months to complete and the new lighting system was unveiled this past month. The Niagara Falls Commission says the upgrade will reduce energy consumption by 60 percent. While the previous xenon fixtures needed to be replaced every 1,900 hours, the LEDs can be run for about 25 years with little to no maintenance. The new system consists of over 12,000 LED lights which, depending on the colors being projected, can be 4 to 14 times brighter than the old xenon system. Mark Thomas, chair of the Niagara Falls Illumination Board told The Buffalo News, “Enhanced lighting will provide a richer experience for patrons who visit here after the sun goes down.” The chief operating officer of the Niagara Parks Commission, David Adames, went on to say, “We realize that we are lighting a world icon. This is about illuminating the falls to accentuate the falls.”
LAMP Design Competition
Short for “Lighting Architecture Movement Project,” LAMP is an international annual lighting design competition showcased in Vancouver, Canada. The competition’s goal is to introduce lighting design and architecture to a wider audience. LAMP also helps emerging talents find markets for their work. Each year contestants are given a theme and must design a unique lighting fixture based on that theme. The theme for 2016 was Cosmic. Be sure to check out the winners. They’re really out of this world.
LEDs and the Next Agricultural Revolution
A quiet revolution has been going on in the agricultural world regarding LED lighting. LED technology is now allowing for systems that can offer different spectral outputs for crops and livestock. These tunable LED systems can be set to specific wavelengths that are best for each part of a plant’s growth cycle. LED lighting is also being used in the poultry business. Certain light wavelengths can make hens stressed or aggressive, while others can actually promote a higher growth rate and an increase in breeding activity, which means more chicken for your dinner table.
Know of any other exciting things happening in the lighting world? Comment below and tell us all about it. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Pinterest.
Sources
http://www.welovelamp.ca/
http://luxreview.com/article/2016/12/niagara-falls-unveils-spectacular-led-lighting-upgrade
http://luxreview.com/article/2016/10/led-to-change-nighttime-view-of-niagara-falls-
http://luxreview.com/article/2016/12/lighting-fixture-design-conference-programme-launched-
http://luxreview.com/article/2016/12/leds-and-the-next-agricultural-revolutio
