• • • LIGHTING & LIGHTING CONTROLS • • •
The role of lighting in sustainability As the pressure to reduce energy usage and running costs continues to rise, the
role of lighting control has never been more important. When coupled with the ability to meet the changing demands for lighting technology, there are exciting opportunities that can be leveraged through lighting control systems, says Tim Whitaker from the DALI Alliance
ighting is not always considered to be a key focus area in the drive for sustainability. Yet data from the US Department of Energy shows lighting accounts for around 15% of global electricity consumption and 5% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.
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This demonstrates the importance of considering lighting and associated technology as we look to a more ecologically-sound future. As a globally standardised protocol for lighting control, DALI undoubtedly plays an integral role in sustainable lighting. This is achieved through minimising energy consumption, focusing on future-proofing, and capitalising on the opportunities offered by smart, data-rich lighting systems.
Minimising energy consumption with lighting control
At its heart, sustainability in lighting begins with reduced energy consumption. The use of sophisticated lighting control systems, enabled by technology such as DALI, builds on the gains achieved through the use of LED light sources, as well as simple control techniques like switching and dimming. To put this into practice, an effective approach is to introduce an automated DALI lighting control system with sensors to detect occupancy, movement, and daylight levels. To detect occupancy, PIR (passive infrared) sensors can be introduced in different parts of a
building. These can then turn the lights on and off in response, which will reduce wasted electricity. Adding to this, DALI sensors coupled with occupancy-based data analytics provide an extremely useful tool for facility managers tasked with reducing electricity consumption. Light-level sensors also help save energy. With sensor data telling the system how much natural light is available in a particular location, the artificial lighting can be controlled in response. This ‘daylight harvesting’ method takes into consideration factors such as the time of day, the sun’s position in the sky and even the time of year; again, minimising energy consumption. Sensor-based lighting control can also optimise both the brightness and colour temperature of the
26 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • SEPTEMBER 2023
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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