Energy + Environment

The Senseable City Lab is dedicated to studying and facilitating adoption of sensors in cities, enabling real-time visualization of how the urban environment is being used, from traffic patterns to data flows to energy and water consumption. Check it out here. Here we see a visualization of cell phone activity in Rome during a soccer [...]

The Star-Ledger recently reported that utility Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) is installing 96,000 induction streetlights to replace older streetlights in 81 municipalities, including Newark, as part of a $50 million infrastructure project. U.S. Lighting Technologies is a key supplier to the project. Induction lighting was chosen for energy savings (30-40% compared to mercury [...]

On April 14, 2010, from 9AM to 4PM, the Raleigh Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society will present a seminar on LED outdoor lighting for electric utility personnel and other interested people. The event will occur at Progress Energy W. Raleigh Operations Center, 7001 Pinecrest Road, Raleigh, NC 27613, in the second-floor conference room. A [...]

The Argus Leader has reported that South Dakota’s Energy Management Office has created a revolving $2.8 million loan fund that can be used to purchase and install energy-efficient lighting (in addition to HVAC, windows, insulation, renewable energy) for K-12 school districts, state tech schools and nonprofits. The fund is part of the Federal Energy Efficiency [...]

A new standard for the design of high-performance green buildings is set to revolutionize the building industry. Published by ASHRAE in conjunction with IES and the U.S. Green Building Council, Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is the first code-intended commercial green building standard in the United [...]

Green construction codes and standards are beginning to emerge on the national code stage. The standards go beyond energy standards such as 90.1 and the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) to cover additional areas such as site sustainability, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and materials and resources. This is the subject of a new whitepaper [...]

The Advanced Energy Design Guide (AEDG) for Small Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities is designed to provide recommendations for achieving 30 percent energy savings over the minimum code requirements of ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-1999. The Guide focuses on small healthcare facilities up to 90,000 sq.ft., including acute care facilities, outpatient surgery centers, critical access hospitals and inpatient [...]

Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto uses a camera to capture the expression of electric charge. The technique, which involves passing hundreds of thousands of volts through a film to a metal table, resulted in “Lightning Fields,” a series of striking images that capture the dynamic nature of electricity. Check it out here.

In late January, LightNOW published a short article about the International Dark-Sky Association’s position on blue light at night: In short, IDA said blue light produces higher light pollution with significant environmental impact, and discouraged the use of bluish-white light sources with >3000K color temperature. The post generated some very thoughtful discussion, and interesting points [...]