Not California. Not New York. Not even Oregon lead the nation towards greener jobs. Idaho as well as Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming have stalwartly lead the United States towards more greener sources of employment. The Pew Research Center found data between 1998 - 2007 and concluded Idaho’s job in the “wind, solar, biofuel and energy efficiency industries grew at a rate of 126.1 percent, while overall Idaho jobs grew by 13.8 percent.” In 2007, 4,500 green jobs existed in a rapidly growing ‘green economy.’ The Pew Research Center defines green jobs as “engineers, plumbers, administrative assistants, construction workers, machine setters, marketing consultants, teachers, and many others” as well as asserting a ‘green economy’ “generates jobs, businesses and investments while expanding clean energy production, increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste and pollution, and conserving water and other natural resources.”
How has Idaho secured new green employment opportunities? According to Phyllis Cuttino, Idaho exhibits more wind potential than both Oregon and Washington combined. Furthermore Businesses such as Nordic Windpower, Hawaiian company Hoku Scientific (manufacturers silicon for Solar Panels) and Micron technology’s LED branch have experienced substantial growth in employment and demand probably due to its “low cost of living, low cost of doing business, availability of labor and favorable local government support.” Good show Idaho.
A new organic light emitting diode (OLED) lamp has an efficiency of 70 lumens per watt. - Photo KOREAITTIMES Source
As part a government funded project, The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) has developed more efficient organic light emitting diode (OLED) lamp. ETRI claims its OLED lamps utilizes its electrical consumption four times more efficiently than regular incandescent electric lamps. ETRI’s white OLED lamp boasts 70 lumens per watt as opposed to regular incandescent electric lamps 15 lumens per watt. And for the icing on the cake, ETRI’s OLED lamp contains absolutely no traces of mercury. Typical incandescent electric lamps have a 8,000 hour lifespan compared to ETRI’s white OLED 10,000 hour lifespan.
Many have deemed OLED as the wave of the future for lighting needs. It’s environmentally safer, more cost-efficient and value-efficient over typical incandescent electric lamps as well as regular LED lights. Stay tuned for more updates on OLED lighting.
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As one of the world’s leading emitters of green house gas, China proposed yesterday a commitment to target and tax polluting businesses. Zhang Lijun, head of the Environmental Protection Ministry, revealed:
“Collecting environmental taxes from (polluting) companies is one of the directions of China’s tax system reform; several departments are currently working together to develop research on this issue, and when the conditions are right we will launch an environmental taxation system for polluting companies.”
Given its enormous population and growing economic presence, China’s energy demand has exploded. China remains as the top global producer and consumer of coal energy. Shockingly enough, the World Bank in 2006 identified 16 out of 20 Chinese cities as some of the world’s most polluted cities. Furthermore, recent studies have concluded 2 out of 5 cities exhibit ‘polluted’ to ‘hazardous’ air levels.
Zhang Lijun also revealed the Chinese government’s environmental package 210 billion yuan (31 billion dollars) a part of China’s 4 trillion dollar stimulus package. Whilst the Chinese government has set aside a significant amount of money towards the environment, Zhang Lijun still expresses concern for the environment:
“Surface water pollution is still serious reducing the quality of coastal waters, while many cities’ suffer from light pollution and air pollution. Additionally, rural environmental problems are increasing.”
“The symposium will provide the latest information regarding the known effects of light at night on circadian disruption and cancer, and may offer valuable information to city managers and planning officials who are considering updating their outdoor lighting plans. Please urge your city officials to attend this event or obtain copies of the proceedings.”
The International Dark-sky Association(IDA) proudly supports the New York Academy of Sciences and the Mushett Family Foundation Symposium on June 19th, 2009 regarding Circadian Disruption. Circadian Disruption is a disruption within living entities that operate roughly on a 24 hour biochemical, physiological and behavioral process cycle. In other words, Circadian Disruption is an alteration to the ‘internal human clock.’ With the advent of LED lighting as an alternative to compact fluorescent light bulbs, the Symposium will examine inquires and concerns regarding its fledgling technology. For instance, many LEDs manufactored today exhibit correlated colour temperature (CCT) well over 5500k. Natural Moonlight exhibits 4100k whereas highly pressured sodium lights i.e. common streetlight exhibits 2100k. As to wether LED’s CCT effects living entities, information regarding it remains unknown. Other topics will include the relationship between day and night as well as cancer studies from past and future. Registration begins promptly at 7:30 am and concludes around 7:30 - 8:00 pm.
What exactly is LED lighting and why should I express interest in LED lighting? On a rudimentary level, LED lighting is known as Solid State Lighting (SSL). LED lighting utilizes modules rather than ‘lamps’ found in traditional lighting technologies. Traditional lighting lamps burn out between 1,000 to 30,000 hours of use. LED lighting, from some manufacturers, purport up to a life of 60,000 hours and beyond. Given LEDs relatively new emergence to the market, the question of LED’s lifetime operation / overall reliability has arisen. A company may release a new LED to the market but because of its new emergence into the market, it would become obsolete by the time it comes out.
Lets consider how an LED light works. An LED light contains several more pieces of equipment compared to ordinary light bulbs. For instance “ballast or driver, electrical connections, and the fixture housing itself (including lenses)” account for the operation of an LED light; all of these have a chance for failure, rendering the light inoperable if one should fail. Furthermore an LED’s light ‘dies’ differently than an ordinary light bulb. Rather than dying out completely, an LED will always regress in its lumin or its light output. In other words, it slowly dims to the point of no longer emitting light. The United States’ Department of Energy has conducted a study on LED on its lumen output and has come to a better understanding of when a death of an LED light occurs. They concluded once its lumen output has declined by 30 percent from its initial output, the human eye can detect decreases in light levels more than this percentage difference. The DOE expresses this value as “L70″, meaning “when lumen output has fallen to 70 percent of initial output.”
The bottom line: LED lighting is a new spectacular frontier for the lighting industry. Whilst it has its positives, it certainly has its negatives. Procuring quality LED lights equates to more efficient LED lighting and reduced deterioration of its lumin.
According to the Seattle based company Vu1 (view one), they feel as if they have a shot in the increasingly demanding market of energy-efficient lighting technologies. Vu1 believes the market remains ‘up for grabs,’ due to expensive LED lighting solutions and shortcomings regarding compact fluorescent lighting qualities i.e. manufacturers sacrificing quality for quantity. Vu1 offers the unique advantage of utilizing a technology called “electron stimulated luminescence” E.S.L. Vu1 defines E.S.L as the following:
E.S.L creates light without requiring a filament, plasma, coils or mercury vapor. Electrons are sprayed uniformly over a broad area inside the bulb, which is coated with a phosphor mixture. This causes the entire surface of the bulb to glow and create light.
Vu1’s plans on introducing a fully dimmable, mercury-free, instant-on bulb for recessed ceiling fixtures by the end of this year; “boasting 6,000 hours – or six times the lifespan of an incandescent – and have a price tag similar to high-end C.F.L. reflector bulbs: about $18 to $22.” According to the United States Department of Energy more than 500 million recessed down lights exist in residential buildings alone, and more than 20 million are sold each year.
Spring is just around the corner and with it, the need to brighten up ones wardrobe and home. As things become green once again and the flowers begin to bloom, there are far more reasons to spend more time outdoors. One of the greatest ways to utilize the beauty of this season around ones home is to install landscape lighting. By doing so, the excitement of the season is not limited merely to the hours of daylight. Spring into action and make your garden and outdoor areas more people friendly!
Starry Night Lights has recently expanded its product line to include Volt Landscape Lighting, the ideal night-sky friendly lighting fixtures, perfect for any outdoor lighting need.Volt fixtures come in brass or aluminum in a wide variety of finishes and work wonderfully for both lighting needs and decorative purpose. The items are designed to be sturdy, but yet are not overly large or bulky. Together with their appearance and environmentally conscious design, these fixtures should be strongly considered when creating ones outdoor paradise.
Selecting the lighting of ones home can be daunting, but it should not be. It should be an exciting time, full of promise for a fresher and more pleasant living experience. Luckily, even if one decides in a later period to change or update ones outdoor fixtures, Volt fixtures are in-stock for immediate shipment (24-48 hours). Checkout our landscape lighting tips for a few things to keep in mind as you expand your living spaces into the outdoors.
Starry Night Lights is dedicated to providing individuals with the necessary tools to improve their lives and homes in an environmentally fashion, by providing customers with the newest lighting innovations in environmentally mindful designs. Through taking small steps toward a better environmental future, the possibilities for larger and grander steps will become available. Put your trust in Starry Night Lights and be kind to both the environment and your wallet! Checkout these landscape lighting tips for a few ideas to keep in mind as you expand your living space.
“Removing 10 percent of the light fixtures would save the city an estimated $100,000 a year; removing 25 percent of the fixtures would save as much as $225,000.”
The aforementioned quote exhibits Public Services Director Michael Bobinsky’s findings if Portland were to cut their carbon footprint. Overall, officials within Portland also hope to “reduce the wattage used by some streetlights; use photocell technology to turn off streetlights when they’re not needed; and eventually replace mercury vapor and high- pressure sodium lights with energy-saving light-emitting diode streetlights.” According to a city report, Portland spends $1.2 million a year to maintain 7,600 streetlights. Part of President Barack Obama administration stimulus package, Portland received the city has $684,700 in federal stimulus funds used for energy efficiency, whilst a portion of the money will be used for buying more-efficient lights.
“We should have done this a long time ago; become a part of a large national movement in which cities are trying to use lighting more efficiently in order to reduce energy usage and cut down on light pollution.”
Martha Sheils, Maine representative of the International Dark-Sky Association., agrees with City Councilor David Marshall’s stance on reducing energy usage and abolish light pollution by stating:
“The public is becoming more aware of the need to reduce light pollution; excessive lighting not only wastes money, but it also disorients migratory birds and makes it more difficult for people to see the night sky.”
ZenithSolar officially announced its next step into creating electric-thermal hybrid solar power systems utilizing CPVs (concentrated photovoltaic) rather than traditional PVs (photovoltaic). Flat solar panels found atop homes encompass PVs, whereas CPVs differs in several different aspects: “satellite shaped dish with small glass squares that line the dish to reflect sunlight—with 1,500 times the intensity—onto a generator that’s set directly in front of the dish.” Furthermore, “the generator can absorb more than 70 percent of the solar energy (versus the 10 percent to 13 percent that PV panels get) and a water-cooling system keeps the tiny generator from being fried at about 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit - the dishes produce no more heat than the local ambient temperature.” Whilst no price has been determined, ZenithSolar claims the consumer will pay for the unit itself within 5 years and each unit comes with a 15 year warranty.
One of my concerns with the system still is light pollution, especially in residential neighborhoods. Given the driving hazard of sunlight reflected onto the street from glass buildings, wouldn’t a residential or industrial CPV system have a similar impact?
Ilan Lozovsky, COO of ZenithSolar replies:
Not a problem. The dish, which pivots, will be programmed to follow the sun, so most times the dish will be pointed straight up. In other words, as long as it’s functioning this won’t be an issue.
Riverside, New Jersey (March 9, 2009) – Sea Gull Lighting, the leading manufacturer of decorative and functional lighting, has been recognized with the ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence Award for the third consecutive year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE). The honor will be officially presented to the company in ceremonies to be held in Washington, D.C. on March 31, 2009.
A charter member of the ENERGY STAR program since 1992, Sea Gull Lighting currently markets more than 500 ENERGY STAR lighting fixtures and ceiling fans. As the industry leader in this category, the company has also been the proud recipient of ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year honors in 2004 and 2005 and now the Sustained Excellence Awards from 2007 – 2009.
Selected annually from more than 12,000 organizations participating in the ENERGY STAR program, Sustained Excellence Award winners are recognized annually for their continued commitment to produce innovative, energy-efficient products that reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
* Uses up to 75 percent less energy than traditional lighting products without sacrificing quality
* Generates 78 percent less heat than standard incandescent lighting, which can translate into cooler rooms during summer months and additional savings on utility costs for air conditioning
* Uses bulbs that last at least 10,000 hours compared to typical incandescent bulbs that last about 750 – 1000 hours Thus, ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures used for an average of three hours per day will not require bulb changes for at least eight years substantially reducing the nuisance of buying, stocking and changing new bulbs
