Lighting the way

High-intensity discharge (HID) lights used in stadiums, factories, airports and street lights make up a $10 billion global market annually. These are inefficient, says HID Laboratories, which is launching a more efficient smart-lighting platform, called the SmartPod Luminaire. This is built around a ballast, which the company claims reduces HID lights’ energy use by between 31 and 42 percent.

HID Laboratories’ ballast uses electronic circuits and a robotic control algorithm to more tightly control elements like the current and frequency in the lamps. Instead of using a filament, like incandescent bulbs, HIDs have a capsule filled with gas that produces light when hit with an electric current. By smoothing the current and running the lamps at a higher frequency, the controls can get more light out of a lower-wattage bulb.

While conventional HID lights get between 60 and 80 lumens per watt, the SmartPod will deliver 90-103 lumens per watt, the company claims. For comparison, typical incandescent bulbs get 10-20 lumens per watt, fluorescent lights get 70-80 lumens per watt and most LEDs deliver 60-90 lumens per watt.

Three markets with big potential for the SmartPod are industrial manufacturing, commercial warehouses and “ultra-high bay” lighting, which illuminates large spaces with really high ceilings.
Stitching up every hole in the energy pocket helps.

As we had posted earlier, street lights guzzle a lot of energy, and often it is a waste. Smart ways of getting the most out of a gadget without spending too much energy are part of the solutions we seek.

MIT researchers have figured out why concrete breaks down and thanks to the research we could have buildings, bridges, and sidewalks last for hundreds of years!

Creep or the process that create cracks is created when calcium-silicate-hydrates (CSH) rearrange at the nano scale. When mixed with water, CSH particles change in density from 64% to 74%. Now, by adding silica fumes to concrete, overall density can increase to 87% and could eventually lead to lasting, lighter structures.

It could also mean reduction in the need for concrete, and hence, the associated 5-8 percent emissions from concrete constructions could also reduce. Considering that 20 bn tons of concrete is churned out annually, that’s a lot.