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A Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Subscribe | Next Page M S BE aG F outdoor lighting | TECHNOLOGY SELECTION Application requirements dictate <strong>best</strong> choice <strong>for</strong> outdoor-lighting technology A methodology <strong>for</strong> evaluating lighting-design criteria and cost issues provides lighting professionals with a pathway to make the <strong>best</strong> outdoor lighting choices, explains RONALD GELTEN. <strong>The</strong> introduction of high-power <strong>LED</strong>s is causing nothing short of a revolution in professional lighting. New product generations are coming out every six months and new products are coming out from diff erent vendors every day. New claims in effi ciency, energy savings and longevity are made every month. People and organizations are calling <strong>for</strong> adjustments in lighting standards and legislation to accommodate this new technology. With so much going on, <strong>LED</strong>s are taking up all the bandwidth and it is hard to keep track of what’s true and what’s real. It is all too easy to <strong>for</strong>get about conventional technologies which are also improving, in some cases faster than ever. Lighting designers need to carefully evaluate available technologies and <strong>application</strong> requirements to make the <strong>best</strong> outdoor lighting choices. To get a basic grasp of the challenge lighting professionals face, consider the difficulty today of choosing a replacement <strong>for</strong> your dining room light bulb. Chances are that your old lamp was an incandescent and now you have all kinds of new options: halogen, or an energy-saving compact fl uorescent lamp (CFL), or a retrofi t <strong>LED</strong> lamp. Th e packaging on the lamp doesn’t just show the wattage, it also talks about color temperature, lumen output, energy savings, and dollar savings per year or over the life of the lamp. After comparing all the numbers you take it to the next step and consider light distribution. Depending on the actual <strong>application</strong>, you may choose from a spiral-shaped CFL, a directional <strong>LED</strong>, an all-around <strong>LED</strong>, and others. Choosing a lamp now requires a RONALD GELTEN is the Business Development Manager <strong>for</strong> outdoor lighting products at Philips Lighting Comp<strong>any</strong>. Product comparison - Design criteria Product comparison - Cost Spill light minimization Controlability, e.g. Sharp cut off dimming, instant-on, Beam control Excellent hot restrike Moderate Moderate Low Moderate Moderate Low Excellent Low Low Low Excellent All-around light Moderate High Energy savings Emotional value High bit more thought process. Given the complexity, how does a lighting professional decide what it is <strong>best</strong> <strong>for</strong> an <strong>application</strong>? It is important to look at the main strengths of the dominant lighting technologies so you can make an educated choice. First you need to focus on the characteristics that are most important <strong>for</strong> applying the light sources, rather than focusing on in-depth technical attributes. In the end, it is all about choosing the right technology, <strong>for</strong> the right <strong>application</strong> and <strong>for</strong> the right reasons. Let’s consider outdoor lighting choices focused on today’s three most prominent technologies – <strong>LED</strong>s, high-intensity discharge (HID), and induction lamps. First we’ll consider the attributes of each, and then how to compare the technologies. We’ll cover the main strengths of the lighting technologies below and you will fi nd a more detailed description online at www. ___ ledsmagazine.com/features/8/2/1. <strong>LED</strong> technology offers the following advantages: Payback time (shorter = better) 1 Initial cost index (HPS = 1) Preventative maintenance cycle (cleaning, lamp 10 y replacement) Energy savings Luminaire replacement 25 y cycle <strong>LED</strong>smagazine.com FEBRUARY 2011 17 1 y 3 10 y 20 y 5 Low 5 y 1 y 5 y Moderate FIG. 1. Two examples of spider web diagrams. Left: comparison of several lighting design criteria. Right: comparison on various cost aspects. High 15 y • <strong>LED</strong>s off er useful product lifetimes in the 50,000h range. When applied in confi ned spaces, such as indoor down-lights or incandescent retrofi t bulbs, lifetimes are typically 20,000-30,000h. In large open spaces, such as in outdoor <strong>application</strong>s, longer lifetimes can be achieved. • Efficacies <strong>for</strong> <strong>LED</strong>s have hit the 100lm/W range, with the bulk of <strong>LED</strong> products in the 50-80 lm/W range. • <strong>LED</strong>s excel in controllability such as dimming, instant-on, hot restrike, and varied color choices. Some of the main strengths and current status of HID technology are: • In terms of effi ciency, the bulk of HID products produce around 100 lm/W. Topline products are around 120 lm/W. Several companies have announced initiatives to bring effi ciency to 150 lm/W. • Lifetimes of HID systems are typically around 15,000h <strong>for</strong> low wattage lamps (below 100W) and up to 30,000h <strong>for</strong> higher wattage versions, with some companies A Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Subscribe | Next Page M S BE aG F
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