Living Environmental Laboratory for Lighting: Reduction of Light Pollution at Hungarian Settlements

Abstract

The International Dark Sky Association has a flight of rules for public lighting in dark sky parks. In Hungary, many settlements still illuminate with compact fluorescent lights and sodium lamps, that do not fulfill these rules. In our research project, financed by a grant of the European Union, we established a system of Living Environmental Laboratory for Lighting at two settlements in dark sky parks in Hungary. As the first step, the public lighting system was reconstructed, so that it satisfied the rules of IDA. We designed new LED luminaires with optimal illumination and optical properties to provide the necessary luminous intensity and reduce light pollution at the same time. The new system has a two-step illumination profile: (i) Early night, after sunset, when the traffic is still high, warm white LEDs are applied to ensure sufficient lighting coming to the roads and pavements with a wide beam of light. (ii) Late night, when the traffic is low, the illumination switches to amber LEDs that have a narrower light beam to minimize light pollution and provide sufficient visibility. This approach can be an optimal illumination construction to reduce the light pollution of public lighting at night.