Energy + Environment

Energy + Environment, Light + Health

First Town In The World Adopts Red Street Lights

    A small town in the Netherlands, Zuidhoek-Nieuwkoop, has become the first town in the world to install red street lights. The primary motivation was to protect local, rare bat populations. The red light isn’t perceived by the bats but allows humans to see at night. The red street lights are manufactured by the [...]

Energy + Environment, Sustainability

PACE Helps Finance Lighting Retrofits & Other Energy Projects

  Facility managers are increasingly seeking sustainability solutions for buildings, emphasizing energy efficiency to enhance value. Green financing programs, such as power purchasing agreements (PPA), efficiency service agreements (EaaS and ESA), and property assessed clean energy (PACE) financing, offer opportunities to integrate green technologies like efficient lighting retrofits, solar panels, co-generation, efficient HVAC systems, and [...]

Energy + Environment, Products + Technology

Product Monday: 3D Printed Bioplastic Downlights

  Shoplight, a British manufacturer specializing in retail and hospitality lighting, launched a line of 3D-printed bioplastic downlights called Colt Bio. The plant-based polymer downlight housings are upgradable and achieve circular economy principles. The black, white, and grey color options are made from Greentech Pro bioplastic, while the Silk color is made from Non Oilen [...]

Energy + Environment, Legislation + Regulation, Products + Technology

California Law Tackles Plastic Packaging, Impacts Manufacturers

  On June 30, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 54 into law to address the impacts of single-use packaging and plastic food service ware. This law requires that by 2032, single use plastics (packaging & food ware) in CA be reduced by 25%, 65% be recycled, and 100% be recyclable or compostable. The law [...]

Energy + Environment, Products + Technology

Bio-Based Fiber Textiles From Fungus & Plant Roots

    Companies are beginning to produce fiber textiles, also known as biofabric, from fungus mycelium and plant roots. The following are two interesting examples. My Glo produces luminaires (light shades) and other home décor items from fungus mycelium. See the image above and directly below. The mycelium light shades are flame resistant, help clean [...]

Controls, Energy + Environment

Building Automation System Connectivity Basics And Misconceptions

  An interesting article by Trane lays out the basics of Building Automation System (BAS) communications and then addresses four common misconceptions. We should first define the protocols and mediums. Protocols are the language in which the building is speaking—BACnet® over MS/TP, BACnet over IP, Modbus, and LonTalk are some of the non-proprietary languages used [...]

Controls, Energy + Environment

Lighting & Smart Grid Webinar Presented By PG&E

  Clifton Lemon Associates today announced that Pacific Gas & Electric will present a free webinar on the growing importance of building controls integration in the process of building-grid connection, load management, decarbonization, and electrification. Titled Lighting and Smart, Grid-Integrated Buildings, the webinar presents a history and overview of building controls integration in both commercial [...]

Energy + Environment, Legislation + Regulation

New USDA Program Can Pay 50% Of Rural Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Upgrades

  Rural Energy for America is a new program of the US Department of Agriculture. The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses, for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans [...]

Energy + Environment, Research

New Glass Could Cut Embodied Carbon By Half And Is 10X Stronger

  LightNOW has recently covered advances in green aluminum, copper, and textiles. There has now been a large advancement in creating more environmentally friendly glass. Researchers at Penn State University have created what they’re calling LionGlass, a new type of glass that cuts the carbon footprint in half and increases the strength by ten fold. [...]

Energy + Environment, Lighting Design

Trends Impacting Residential Lighting

By Jeffrey R. Dross, Principal, Lighting by Jeffrey Change occurs in every industry. Social and aesthetic trends drive much of it. Consumers are always looking for something “different;” the architecture changes, related interior industries (furniture, floor covering, window dressing and appliances) shift and society reacts to the needs of the community and its people. Trends [...]

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