Urban Planners Have Been Advised to Avail of Light Emitting Diode Lighting Solutions

Urban planners have been advised to avail of light emitting diode (LED) lighting solutions to address urban development and sustainability challenges to improve people’s quality of life. The suggestion was made at the “city.people.light” event recently hosted by Philips Lighting in Bali and attended by government officials, contractors and consultants. Government institutions in Bali were advised to accelerate their efforts in replacing conventional street lighting with LED lighting to reduce energy consumption and improve urban landscapes. With the current global rate of switching from conventional lighting to LED lighting for street illumination estimated to be only 3 percent, urban planners have been urged to speed up the use of LED lighting to avail of the energy savings and city beautification benefits to become more efficient, harmonious and iconic. "City lights not only have a crucial role to play in decelerating climate change and promoting energy efficiency; lighting has the potential to reinvigorate urban life and promote the sense of a thriving community,” said Riris, marketing manager of Philips Lighting Commercial, PT Philips Indonesia. "Cities can be reinvented as icons, through the transformation of their skylines through the innovative use of LED lighting solutions,” she said, emphasizing the potential of LED lighting solutions to reveal vibrant urban settings. Globally, lighting consumes around 19 percent of total energy consumption. The new LED-based lighting technology can cut energy consumption by half, which is equal to saving ¤106 billion and reducing the emission of carbon dioxide by 555 million tons per year. LED technology is hailed as the answer to urban needs for energy conservation, being environmentally friendly and a long lasting lighting system. Discussions at the event also centered on other benefits of LED lighting, where LED lighting was underscored as a solution that could help transform structures or buildings into iconic wonders that improve a city’s appearance. "Lighting can certainly strengthen a citizen’s affinity to and harmony with a city. After all, people want to live in cities where they can work, play and socialize in a safe and ‘feel good’ environment, especially at night,” said Jimmy Siswanto Juwana, an architect from Trisakti University, adding that it reinvigorated landscapes at night and rejuvenated the appearance of a city. “With better lit areas using LED lighting solutions, pedestrian density and flow at these icons would naturally increase, spurring even more appreciation of a city.” The Suramadu Bridge connecting Java to Madura Island is an example of how LED lighting can improve the appearance of infrastructure. LED lighting has helped in transforming the landmark not only into a magnificent structure but at also a safe one. "We want to inspire city authorities and urban planners to accelerate their efforts in replacing existing city lighting infrastructure with LED lighting solutions, to reduce energy consumption and transform their city’s landscapes,” Riris said. Source: thejakartapost.com