One issue with street and outdoor lighting nowadays is the effect that consequent light pollution can have on the environment and local ecosystems.
While LEDs are known to produce far more targeted light, thereby limiting the amount of pollution caused, it would seem that even for this environmentally friendly light source, there is still room for improvement.
According to a study published in the journal Optics Express, researchers claimed that LED streetlights in their current form 'leak' as much as 20 per cent of their light. However, a new design could limit this to as little as two per cent.
The new design employs the use of a 'Total Internal Reflection' lens, which focuses the light to where it is needed. The LED, encompassed by the lens, is then set in a fitting which further 'recycles' the light produced. A final outer microlens sheet then filters any unwanted glare produced.
As more and more councils and public services opt for LED retrofit projects to light streets and neighbourhoods, especially those who see it spilling into their homes will be glad that more research is being invested in honing this technology further.
We are indeed becoming increasingly ecologically aware as it becomes ever more apparent that individuals need to take more responsibility when it comes to limiting carbon footprints and protecting the environment.
To this end, it seems even homeowners are starting to pay more attention to the difference they could be making when installing lights outside their own home, in terms of light pollution.
Manja Swanson, chief creative officer for Lamps Plus (a lighting retailer in California) talks about the growing trend for 'dark sky wall lights', created in a bid to counter the effects of light pollution during the hours of darkness. The lights work by illuminating downwards or against a wall so that light does not 'spill' into the sky and surrounding area.
