The latest generation street lights

Test facility in Fürth demonstrates the future of street lighting with OSRAM LEDs A total of six lamps with the latest LED technology from OSRAM demonstrate street lighting of the future in Fürth near Nuremberg, Germany. The city’s traffic and energy supply company infra fürth GmbH, luminaire manufacturer Schréder and lighting manufacturer OSRAM have set up an LED test unit on the road to the airport to provide information about the diodes’ performance in street lighting. The result of this practical test will help in deciding whether to use more LED luminaires in
the Franconian town.

Light diodes, better known as LEDs (light emitting diodes) will find their way into every area of everyday life in the near future and play a significant role in lighting. Among the reasons for this are their energy efficiency and resilience. They will also provide previously unattainable light quality in street lighting and savings both in operation and maintenance. A street lighting test facility with LED technology has now been set up in Fürth. Half a dozen luminaires have been installed on the road to the airport in the town’s north and will provide an insight into the street lighting of tomorrow.

Schréder – the world market leader in outdoor lighting – has designed and constructed for Fürth’s traffic and energy supply company infra fürth GmbH six LED lamps of the P 186 type, in which OSRAM light diodes have been fitted. A total of 96 OSRAM Golden Dragon Plus LEDs with an output of 1.2 watts each are shared by two lamp sections. These have been mounted at a light spot height of eight metres.

The specific design of the LED luminaires looks different than conventional ones even during the day. At night, when the 96 individual light sources cast their brilliant white light, the difference from familiar streetlights becomes even clearer.

More brilliant light for local authorities

Even though the light yield in the test luminaires at around 75 lumens per watt corresponds to that of a conventional street light, it makes a much brighter impression. Because of the directional characteristics of LED there is less stray light than with discharge lamps. The diodes send the light through special lenses without redirecting it straight on to the ground. In addition, the white light they shed is perceived as far more luminous than normal street lights.

As LEDs can generally be used in colour versions too, they give local governments completely new options in cityscape design. Buildings, squares and streets can be lit more distinctly. With nuanced colour schemes any area of town can have its own atmosphere.

Another advantage is that LEDs have a much longer operating life than high-pressure discharge lamps. Shocks have no effect on their output or lifespan. As such, LEDs are also better protected from vandalism. For local government this means lower costs for street lighting maintenance and repair.

A project with a future

The test facility is intended to provide information about how suitable the new diode technology is for practical use in urban areas today. The systems’ temperature and efficiency readings are under constant observation. It is clear that LEDs have already attained and to some extent even exceeded the performance of conventional lamps. In a few years even more efficient systems will be feasible, whereby major energy savings can be achieved. Apart from significant savings for towns and cities the environment will also benefit from reduced energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

infra fürth GmbH expects to gain experience from the project of the ability to utilise the technology in future as well as knowledge about operational procedures and the energy and operating costs of LED luminaires. “We’re happy that Schréder has implemented this innovative pilot project together with OSRAM in Fürth. The findings we obtain from this will certainly help us decide on further possible applications”, says Elmar Eckl, in charge of street lighting at infra fürth GmbH. “LEDs are considered the lamps of the future. As an innovative service provider it is a given that we’re going to investigate the potential of any future technologies. We also would like to share our experiences with the city of Fürth and other local authorities.”