Delivering the inaugural annual lecture of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers, he said: ‘We need to find ways of delivering increasingly sophisticated lighting services to the whole of humankind…in ways that cause considerably less impact, which probably needs less total economic activity.

‘Lighting is responsible for anywhere between 16 and 18 per cent of total electricity consumption in the world today, depending on how you do the calculations. So this is an absolutely massive part of the challenge. And although it’s rarely spoken about in those terms, people are beginning to understand that if we are going to make a difference to this story, we have to make a difference on lighting.’

Referring to the barrage of criticism from campaigners over the UK Government’s decision to approve a third runway at Heathrow Airport in London, he pointed out that aviation is responsible for 2 and 4 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions.

‘It’s relatively small in fact. When you compare lighting to these other big sectors, you can begin to see why it is people are focusing suddenly on the need to get lighting right.

‘What we know is that if you back right back before electricity to when people were using whale oil and tallow and candles, the contribution of the lighting industry as a whole has remained astonishingly constant over hundreds of years. It always contributes around 1.7 per cent of total GDP in any one year.

‘This rather amazing statistic was unearthed by Professor [Jeff] Tsao in the paper he wrote in 2010. And I quote: “New applications of increasingly efficient lighting technologies have consistently offset the energy efficiency gains from new lighting technologies almost exactly, leaving the portion proportion of global GDP attributable to lighting essentially unchanged for hundreds of years”.

‘So lighting’s always had this critical part in the economy of human societies at different points, at roughly 1.7 per cent of GDP.

’The problem is, we need to do something about that,’ he told a London audience of lighting executives. ‘I hope this isn’t going to upset people here but we kind of need to get that figure down. Because if we are to have a massive contribution from lighting to addressing this problem, we need to find ways of delivering increasingly sophisticated lighting services to the whole of humankind – not just the rich world – in ways that cause considerably less impact, which probably needs less total economic activity.’

However, he praised the lighting sector for its technological achievements, especially the development of the blue LED by Professor Shuji Nakamura and his team in the 1990s. Quoting the US Department of Energy, he said: ‘ “the widespread introduction of LEDs today will reduce electricity consumption by around 348 TWh by 2027, equal to the output of 44 large power plants, saving more that $30 billion at today’s power prices”. So you can see why this is going to have an impact on GDP. It takes $30 billion of economic activity out of the US economy, that translates through into the economic multipliers.

‘If the Indian government were to replicate the LED roll-out that it is currently undertaking in Pondicherry, it would reduce electricity demand by over 50 TWh and cut consumer bills by over $3 billion. These are just massive changes that are underway now.’

He also highlighted the president of Institute of Physics’ claim that the optimum use of LED lighting could reduce lighting’s share of the global electricity consumption in buildings from 19 per cent to 4 per cent. ‘That translates to the total electricity consumption of Europe.’

The exhibition by international artist Bernardi Roig, working with the University of Creative Arts (Canterbury),  uses life size sculptures made from polyester resin leaning against a wall and covered in 200 of Thorn’s PopPack 58W Battens.  The stark white of the sculpture, combined with the powerful illumination from the fluorescent lamps, creates a dramatic contrast within the surrounding Gothic stained glass window space.  Roig’s work explores themes such as human isolation, loneliness, the limits of knowledge and the body’s deterioration. The artist has created a tense relationship between figure and background, between rational comprehension and spiritual understanding, between artificial light and divine clarity.

Emma Braso, Cultural Programme Curator at University for the Creative Arts, commented  “We are delighted that Thorn has supported this event, the fluorescent lighting is a perfect choice of illumination for this exhibition as it creates a dramatic impact”.

Thorn’s PopPack Batten incorporates a Tridonic PC T8 Pro ballast contained in a white stoved enamel outer to provide a colour rendering index of 80 and luminaire efficacy of 90 lm/w.  The 1500mm luminaire is suitable for a wide range of applications, including unique exhibition displays such as the Sleepless Light Exercises.

An experimental human centric lighting scheme has been installed at Lindeborgskolan school in Malmo, Sweden, aimed at improving pupil performance.

The human centric system replaced a fluorescent lighting scheme, a change which pupils claim has improved their concentration, making them feel more alert throughout the school day.

The automatically changing light variation includes a period of intense rather blue light in the morning, to wake the pupils up, and a warmer light during other parts of the day.

Teachers are able to change the colour intensity of the lighting to create a calming or a stimulating atmosphere when necessary. The human centric scheme has also eradicated flicker.

The new lighting was funded by the Department of Internal Services in the hope of bringing Swedish schools firmly into the twenty first century.

You can find out more about the Malmo project by watching the video above. You can also learn more about the debate surrounding human centric lighting by reading our article: Are we experimenting on school children?

Some 32 per cent of white-collar employees told the researchers that they were unhappy with the light intensity, with only a fifth were able to alter the light level.

The results are sure to bolster critics of the lit environment in the nation’s commercial workplaces, who have slammed the sector for a lack of creativity. Top lighting designer Paul Nulty, founder of Nulty+, tweeted: ‘Bad lighting effects workplace productivity. Who’d have thought!?’

UK offices still have a preponderance of so-called Category 2 lights – recessed, deeply-louvred fittings designed to minimise reflections on computer screens – which deliver a gloomy environment.

The study of over 12,000 workers across 17 countries showed that the UK workers are the least satisfied with their office ambience. The study appeared to add weight to the argument that local lighting control boosts employee engagement and satisfaction, as the biggest issue was a lack of control. Only 39 per cent of respondents say they can adjust the temperature, while a mere 21 per cent can alter the lighting.

‘This could be seriously affecting the concentration, productivity and engagement levels of workers, with the study showing that a lack of flexibility and control over the physical work environment correlates with a lack of engagement’, the study said. In contrast, highly engaged employees are those that have the most flexibility over how and where they work.

The situation in the UK is likely to be influenced by the country’s dominance of open-plan design, with 49 per cent of workers based in this kind of space due to its cost-saving benefits. However, this can limit employees’ individual control over their environment.

Christine Congdon, director of Global Research Communication told Lux: ‘Our research has consistently shown that the most engaged workers are those who have autonomy over how and where they work, whether adjusting the temperature, lighting, or workspace to suit their needs. ‘When people feel like they have choice and control over various aspects of their physical work environment, it leads to greater satisfaction overall.

‘Everybody is different and personal preference will depend on an individual’s natural physiology, their mood on a particular day and the task they are working on. To cater to these constantly changing needs, employers should pay more attention to providing a range of working environments, including the ability to adjust workspace basics as required.’

The study was commissioned by office furniture manufacturer Steelcase.

Visit us at www.novelenergylighting.com to explore our range of office lighting products, including LED panels and LED tubes. Call us to discuss your needs: 0208-540-8287, or drop us an email: sales@novelenergylighting.com

Main picture copyright Ripton Scott 2016

For months farmers in Odisha have been battling to prevent elephants from raiding vegetables, fruits and paddy. Miles of trenches and solar fencing have all failed to prevent the incursions, but now a newly installed low cost lighting system is showing signs of success.

Flashing LED lights suspended on bamboo poles have been installed at sixty metre intervals across forty-five acres of crops. The lights were placed so they would be at the elephant’s eye level, while being visible from a long distance.

Despite the fields being full of tomatoes, pumpkins and bananas, the elephants have opted to keep their distance from the illuminated crops.

‘The light system has been designed based on our field experience with elephants and their habits,’ Biswajit Mohanty, project director at the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) told The Hindu newspaper.

‘We knew that the elephants would be scared of flashing lights instead of fixed and powerful lights. We developed this design using low power LED bulbs used as strobes.’

The LED system was also used during the lucrative Indian mango season, which runs from April to June.

‘I used to incur huge losses due to elephant herds entering my orchards and attacking mango trees,’ Odisha farmer Jugal Kishore Nayak told The Hindu. ‘But this year, the lighting system has kept the elephants at bay.’

The WPSI now plans to develop a prototype self-contained lighting unit, with an in-built solar charger, which will make the fixtures easier to maintain.

‘Hopefully the lights will be popular with farmers so that they can sleep peacefully instead of chasing elephants all night,’ Biswajit Mohanty concluded.

The Indian farmer’s elephant problem is much more serious than a few ravenous mammals stealing fruit and vegetables. Odisha has lost more than 700 elephants and 700 people during man-elephant conflicts since 2004. During the same period, elephants trampled ready-to-harvest crops across 90,000 acres of land.

The experiment assumes extra significance as elephants have now started coming out of the forest throughout the year instead of only during harvest seasons.

Visit www.novelenergylighting.com to purchase you elephant deterrent lighting today, or call Andy on 0208-540-8287 to discuss pachyderm prevention measures!

The Government is investing nearly £5 million to encourage leading UK firms such as Sainsbury’s, to install energy efficient lighting.

The money is part of an attempt by Whitehall to reduce peak time energy levels as fears rise that the National Grid will not be able to cope with electricity demands this winter, leading to nationwide blackouts.

A string of leading companies, including British Gas, Sainsbury’s, Sony and BAE Systems, have bid for funding in the second auction of the Electricity Demand Reduction (EDR) pilot.

Plumbing firm Wolseley UK received an EDR grant of £100k and is using the money to kit out its distribution centre with upgraded LED lighting.

The company claims that the new fixtures will reduce its electricity demand by 236,000 kWh, which is enough energy to power more than 300 homes.

Wolseley worked closely with Cloudfm on the maintenance work, a partnership that has also led to Wolseley’s head office in Leamington Spa being awarded a BREEAM “Excellent” rating.

The scheme works by encouraging consumers to provide capacity in the form of megawatts to help the UK meet its energy efficiency targets and reduce pressure on the National Grid. The pilot also reduces the energy bills of those involved.

The Government had originally allotted £6 million to the pilot, but a lack of uptake meant that not all the money was allocated.

This is the second time that an EDR auction has failed to reach its target, the first, held last year, saw only £1.28m out of a total of £10 million being snapped up.