Energy + Environment

The Design Lights Consortium (DLC) released LUNA Versions 1.0 Technical Requirements for outdoor LED luminaires. The requirements limit sky glow, light trespass and mitigate light pollution.  LUNA products will appear as a subset of luminaires listed on the SSL Qualified Products List (QPL) and will be eligible for efficiency rebates and incentives designed for SSL [...]

According to the Department of Energy, converting all horticultural lighting to LED could realize 40% energy savings, equating to roughly $240 million in annual energy cost savings. As a result, this category is targeted by commercial lighting rebate programs.

A new white paper from the National Governors Association outlines measures states have taken to increase energy efficiency, and steps for governors and states to consider as they continue to examine policy innovations and best practices.

To mitigate the risks posed by mercury, the Clean Lighting Coalition is calling on the Biden Administration to support the global phase-out of fluorescent lighting by 2025 at the upcoming meeting of the United Nation’s Minamata Convention on Mercury in March 2022.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that, absent significant changes in policy or technology, world energy consumption will grow by nearly 50% between 2020 and 2050.

Reported by the BBC, a recent UK study discovered that street lighting disrupted the behavior of nocturnal moths, reducing caterpillar population by half.

Working with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Brattle Group has developed A National Roadmap for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings. The Roadmap outlines DOE’s national goal to triple the energy efficiency and demand flexibility of the buildings sector by 2030, relative to 2020 levels.

Construction officials outlined a series of steps public officials and the construction industry should take to address the impacts of the built environment on climate change. The new initiative from the Associated General Contractors of America is designed to lessen the carbon footprint of the built environment while also making the process of building projects even more efficient.

This article by Laura Paddison, published on the BBC’s website, lays out a case for comprehensively tackling light pollution. It’s not just about protecting views of the night sky but also the environment.