Alternate Street Lights Only Illuminated After Midnight to Reduce Electric Energy Use and CO2 -- ECOSUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY

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Subject: Alternate Street Lights Only Illuminated After Midnight to Reduce Electric Energy Use and CO2

Author:
Gregory Wright
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Date Posted: 07/27/10 9:30
Author Host/IP: 59.161.144.101.hyd-cdma.vsnl.net.in/59.161.144.101
The Problem:
The need to reduce electricity use and carbon emissions as quickly and as much as possible; and the need to reduce nighttime light pollution for a range of ecological and aesthetic/spiritual reasons.

The Social Invention:
The streetlights of municipalities in future should be wired in a manner that would permit one-half, or perhaps one-third, of the lights to be extinguished along most thoroughfares and streets after a certain hour (say, midnight), leaving only alternate or one-in-three streetlights illuminated during the hours street illumination is less needed, in order to save electricity and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide in cities deriving electricity from coal, oil, or natural gas-fired power plants; and to reduce the steadily growing light pollution of our night skies.

Call it 'The Cinderella Hour'!

Anywhere that the selective de-illumination of city streetlights at a certain time of night is possible now -- wherever streetlights are wired "in parallel" instead of "in series" -- it should be done.

The proportion of Los Angeles (where I live) Department of Water and Power electricity that is generated from carbon-intensive coal in 2008 is a whopping 44 percent, while only 8 percent is from "Eligible Renewable" and another 7 percent from Large Hydroelectric.

The sponsors and supporters of the various 'Earth Hours' and 'Lights Outs' events in large and small cities across the world -- such as London, Sydney, Toronto, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and many others -- should suggest this possibility to their city governments. (I made this suggestion to my Los Angeles City representatives and Los Angeles Burerau of Street Lighting preceding the 'Lights Out Los Angeles' event of October 20, 2007 (http://lightsoutla.org) and the 'Lights Out America'/'Earth Hour' event of March 29, 2008, to raise awareness of the need for energy conservation and carbon reduction while encouraging a little night sky-gazing for star-starved urbanites, alas to no effect).

As was pointed out on the Lights Out Los Angeles Blog (http://lightsoutla.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html), "the one hour of relative electrical dimness in San Francisco on October 20 [2007] or during the Lights Out America next March 29 [2008] -- or the annual Sydney Earth Hour or 2007's Lights Out London -- will have value only if these events become the prelude to a massive reduction in commercial nighttime illumination that happens by law and new custom every night after a certain hour (say, at midnight): a regular practice instead of an annual celebration. At least until the world is powered completely by carbon-free renewable energy."
If alternate-streetlight extinguishing is not now possible in most places, I wonder what new technology might make it cost-feasible to reconfigure the wiring of streetlight systems to enable this? For example, perhaps something could be contrived that would turn the illuminating element atop the poles on and off (such as a wireless-controlled actuator) that would obviate the need to reconfigure the underground wiring system in order to enable the selective turning off of alternate streetlights at a certain hour of the night to save electricity and reduce carbon emissions.

At a minimum, new streetlight systems in Los Angeles and elsewhere henceforth should be designed to make it easy and cost-effective to turn off, for example, all the 'A' streetlights (one alternating-lights half of a system) at midnight, and all the other, 'B', lights (the other alternating half of the streetlights) at midnight on the alternating nights? Alternating sets of streetlights should be de-illuminated on alternating nights to even out the use and depreciation of the lighting elements.

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>The Problem: >The need to reduce electricity use and carbon >emissions as quickly and as much as possible; and the >need to reduce nighttime light pollution for a range >of ecological and aesthetic/spiritual reasons. > >The Social Invention: >The streetlights of municipalities in future should be >wired in a manner that would permit one-half, or >perhaps one-third, of the lights to be extinguished >along most thoroughfares and streets after a certain >hour (say, midnight), leaving only alternate or >one-in-three streetlights illuminated during the hours >street illumination is less needed, in order to save >electricity and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide in >cities deriving electricity from coal, oil, or natural >gas-fired power plants; and to reduce the steadily >growing light pollution of our night skies. > >Call it 'The Cinderella Hour'! > >Anywhere that the selective de-illumination of city >streetlights at a certain time of night is possible >now -- wherever streetlights are wired "in parallel" >instead of "in series" -- it should be done. > >The proportion of Los Angeles (where I live) >Department of Water and Power electricity that is >generated from carbon-intensive coal in 2008 is a >whopping 44 percent, while only 8 percent is from >"Eligible Renewable" and another 7 percent from Large >Hydroelectric. > >The sponsors and supporters of the various 'Earth >Hours' and 'Lights Outs' events in large and small >cities across the world -- such as London, Sydney, >Toronto, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Los Angeles, >and many others -- should suggest this possibility to >their city governments. (I made this suggestion to my >Los Angeles City representatives and Los Angeles >Burerau of Street Lighting preceding the 'Lights Out >Los Angeles' event of October 20, 2007 (<a >rel=nofollow target=_blank >href="http://lightsoutla.org)">http://lightsoutla.org)< >/a> and the 'Lights Out America'/'Earth Hour' event of >March 29, 2008, to raise awareness of the need for >energy conservation and carbon reduction while >encouraging a little night sky-gazing for star-starved >urbanites, alas to no effect). > >As was pointed out on the Lights Out Los Angeles Blog >(<a rel=nofollow target=_blank >href="http://lightsoutla.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archiv >e.html),">http://lightsoutla.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_ar >chive.html),</a> "the one hour of relative electrical >dimness in San Francisco on October 20 [2007] or >during the Lights Out America next March 29 [2008] -- >or the annual Sydney Earth Hour or 2007's Lights Out >London -- will have value only if these events become >the prelude to a massive reduction in commercial >nighttime illumination that happens by law and new >custom every night after a certain hour (say, at >midnight): a regular practice instead of an annual >celebration. At least until the world is powered >completely by carbon-free renewable energy." >If alternate-streetlight extinguishing is not now >possible in most places, I wonder what new technology >might make it cost-feasible to reconfigure the wiring >of streetlight systems to enable this? For example, >perhaps something could be contrived that would turn >the illuminating element atop the poles on and off >(such as a wireless-controlled actuator) that would >obviate the need to reconfigure the underground wiring >system in order to enable the selective turning off of >alternate streetlights at a certain hour of the night >to save electricity and reduce carbon emissions. > >At a minimum, new streetlight systems in Los Angeles >and elsewhere henceforth should be designed to make it >easy and cost-effective to turn off, for example, all >the 'A' streetlights (one alternating-lights half of a >system) at midnight, and all the other, 'B', lights >(the other alternating half of the streetlights) at >midnight on the alternating nights? Alternating sets >of streetlights should be de-illuminated on >alternating nights to even out the use and >depreciation of the lighting elements.
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