Monday, September 3, 2007

Lunar Resonant Streetlighting

Metropolis Magainze just awarded Civil Twilight Design Collective top prize in the 2007 Metropolis Next Generation Design Competition for the Lunar-Resonant Streetlight. This design "...retrofit[s] existing streetlights with dimmable LED bulbs and a highly sensitive photo-sensor cell that could detect and respond to moonlight."

The Collective's reserach indicates:
  • streetlights account for 38 percent of the electricity used for lighting in the United States—that’s close to 300 million tons of carbon emissions a year.
  • They’re also the top source of light pollution, preventing two-thirds of Americans from seeing stars at night.
  • in the 1930s, with the spread of electrification and the consolidation of utilities, streetlights became a convenient way to off-load excess energy from the grid at night, when power demands dropped significantly. This intentionally inefficient system determined the norm for nighttime outdoor lighting levels, a standard that has not been revised since, even though the need for off-loading ended in the 1970s. What we now assume is a safety measure is in fact the forgotten remnant of an obsolete energy practice.

Montgomery County, Maryland Lighting Ordinance Proposed

Our fellow stargazers at National Capital Astronomers have proposed an ordinance for Montgomery County, Maryland (our next-door neighbors in Northern Virginia). Click here to review the proposed ordinance. You can help out by sending a word of support to Councilmember Praisner.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Help needed to track down other Virginia Ordinances!

We could use your help in tracking down other Virginia Ordinances not mentioned on this site. We think that Loudoun County and Blacksburg have some kind of outdoor lighting ordinances passed, but can't seem to find the details (electronic copy of ordinance, date passed, etc.) If you know of these, or other Virginia county ordinances, we would appreciate it if you could send an e-mail with these details to the Virginia IDA chapter administrator...thanks!

Roanoke County passes lighting ordinance

Roanoke County passed a lighting ordinance (see p. 51, Appendix C of Roanoke Valley lighting report). We're having trouble tracking down some details behind this one. If anyone knows the date when this ordinance was adopted, please send a note to the Virginia IDA chapter administrator (thanks!)

Warren County passes lighting ordinance

Warren County passed a lighting ordinance (see p. 48, Appendix C of Roanoke Valley lighting report). We're having trouble tracking down some details behind this one. If anyone knows the date when this ordinance was adopted, please send a note to the Virginia IDA chapter administrator (thanks!)

Hanover County Lighting Ordinance

Hanover County passed a lighting ordinance (see p. 47, Appendix C of Roanoke Valley lighting report). We're having trouble tracking down some details behind this one. If anyone knows the date when this ordinance was adopted, please send a note to the Virginia IDA chapter administrator (thanks!)

Chesterfield County Lighting Ordinance

Chesterfield County passed a lighting ordinance (see p. 31, Appendix C of Roanoke Valley lighting report). We're having trouble tracking down some details behind this one. If anyone knows the date when this ordinance was adopted, please send a note to the Virginia IDA chapter administrator (thanks!)