The National Lighting Bureau (NLB), Silver Spring, Md., has released a set of videos from panel discussions hosted by the EdisonReport during the NLB's Board of Directors Forum in December 2014. The video below on Outdoor Lighting Safety and Security brings together several panelists to discuss the challenges of specifying LED lighting and how those challenges can be overcome. Panelists are: Mark Lien of Osram Sylvania; Bob Parks, Smart Outdoor Lighting Alliance; and Janet Moyer, International Landscape Lighting Institute.
The discussion begins with a recent study showing that more uniform illumination may not translate to better visibility - contrast is a more important factor in safety and security of outdoor lighting. "We need to rethink our standards," said Parks, "the standards we're using are old." Further topics include the tradeoffs between bright illuminance and warmer colors that have less impact on the environment. Manufacturers are increasing efficacies in lamps with lower color temperatures, and further research on dimming and spectral tuning the panelists suggest this will lead the way to better outdoor lighting that satisfies both needs.
NLB broke out two videos from the forum, available on the NLB website.