LIGHTING
LED is an increasingly popular element in lighting displays. Kathleen Whyman
asks the industry experts about the benefi ts for attractions and what the pros and cons are
SEE THE LIGHT
PAULA DINKEL lighting consultant, US
“E “T
nergy costs are a big reason for the popularity of LED. There’s pressure to reduce the use of incandes-
cence lamps and to lower energies, which LEDs do. Plus they’re low maintenance and don’t need replacing as often, which reduces operational costs. This is also
ROBERT SIMPSON
founder director, Electrosonic, UK
he pros of LED lighting are new lighting possibilities, energy effi - ciency and colour. The cons are
non-standardisation and exaggerated per- formance claims. Fluorescent lighting (at around 80 L/W)
will remain a prime light source for a long time, but some vendors are now offering LED strips to replace fl uorescent lamps. This is only justifi ed where a special colour is needed, or where an absolutely continu- ous line of light is needed, or where the luminaires must work at low temperature. The problem with LED is that it has been
oversold. In new lighting schemes a light- ing designer can, in principle, make good use of LED, but trying to use it as a retrofi t source may result in disappointment. Many schemes have failed disastrously because the life expectations weren’t met. Users have then discovered that they can’t get exact replacements because the original vendor has gone out of business or changed the model. LEDs fail cata- strophically if they get too hot, and some manufacturers haven’t got the expertise to
66 Electrosonic designed, installed and programmed LED displays at Kuwait 360 Mall
design proper thermal management within the luminaire. It’s vital that users get proper guarantees both of lifetime and the avail- ability of replacements. A corollary of this is that, at present,
there are few standards in LED lighting; you can’t go out and buy the equivalent of a 60w bulb and expect it to be the same from any manufacturer. This must change.
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital LED luminaire manufacturers may quote
the luminaire light output under unreason- ably favourable conditions. Light output goes down signifi cantly with an increase in temperature and, to a lesser extent, with life. There are industry standards speci- fying how lumen data is to be presented but not all manufacturers follow them. My advice is to try before you buy.”
AM 3 2011 ©cybertrek 2011
ideal for fi xtures in locations that are hard to get to. For example, in attractions where there’s water, it’s good to have fi xtures that you don’t have to access very often. But, up-front costs are higher, as they’re more expensive to install and, eventually, replace. LEDs offer fl exibility and programmabil-
ity, which is fun for lighting designers and can create a big impact. The appeal is the huge range of colours that you can achieve with RGB (red, green, blue) LEDs in fi x- tures. However, because of the vibrancy of the colours, it’s hard to get some subtlety.
Newer technology isn’t the best choice
for attractions because it hasn’t been proven to have durability over a long period of time. LED has been used in attractions for about 10 years, so is a reliable fi xture. We’re all waiting for the next new thing
after LED. Every 10 to 15 years something new leaps forward. LED has been the lat- est, but there’s got to be more coming because there’s so much pressure relating to energy conservation. What would be useful are lights that move, are smaller and are very sturdy.”
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