10 Connected LED Lighting Solutions
An LED's enhanced ability and directivity reduce
light pollution in general. The higher system
efficacy, typically measured in lumens per watt, for
LEDs tends to be much higher than high-pressure sodium or
mercury vapor bulbs. LEDs also last up to 2x-10x longer than HPS
and Mercury Vapor lighting, significantly reducing the need to repair
or replace bulbs/fixtures. An LED's infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV)
light content can also be much lower than other legacy light sources,
which means much less waste heat, and the thermal stresses on the
entire fixture can be substantially less. These factors are why
LEDs have a much smaller environmental impact, including
reduced need for maintenance crews to be sent out
to replace light sources (Figure 2). This also results
in a lower total cost of ownership for streetlights
compared to legacy lighting.
FIGURE 2: Performance of LED demonstration design and conventional street lamps. (Image Credit: Lumileds)
