Spelsberg Carries the Torch for LED Street Lighting

Scotopic and photopic light calculations (used to assess the visibility of light sources) have shown older street lighting systems employing high-intensity discharge lamps, often HPS high pressure sodium lamps, to perform poorly when compared to white light sources, particularly at night. White light sources have been shown to double driver peripheral vision and increase driver brake reaction time by at least 25%.

New street lighting technologies, such as LEDs, emit a white light that provides high levels of scotopic lumens allowing street lights with lower wattages and lower photopic lumens to replace existing street lights. As well as the type of light emitted, LEDs have a number of other advantages; they require very little voltage and have an extremely long operational life and are cheap to replace which means that they are extremely cost efficient as well as providing superior lighting.

However, LEDs require a larger range of control electronics which means that a far larger PCB is needed to run an LED powered street lamp that would be found on a traditional lamp. This can make installation awkward as a larger enclosure is needed which can be bulky and hard to specify to the correct dimensions. Fortunately Spelsberg has developed a solution that allows for simple installation, and quick inspection, for PCBs used in LED lighting applications.

The lighting enclosures from Spelsberg are a modular design which means that installers can easily house PCBs of varying length within them without having to specify a number of different sizes. There is an option of module lengths: 220mm, 420mm and 620mm; each module has a 67mm diameter meaning they are interchangeable and can easily be stored within most common streetlamps.

The enclosures are constructed using a semi-transparent polycarbonate material which is halogen free; ventilation sockets have been designed to allow heat dissipation by air circulation whilst still maintaining IP32 ingress protection when installed vertically. Various accessories are available including ventilation plugs and external fastening screws.

Chris Lloyd, speaking for Spelsberg, comments: “LED street lighting has the potential to create a massive improvement to the way that our roads and pavements are lit. The lighting created by LEDs is far more natural and will not be reduced to a dim flickering every time a starter develops a problem. These enclosures are intended to make LED street lighting as simple and practical a solution as possible. The enclosures will easily house a PCB of any length and can quickly be installed within the lamp’s structure. Once installed the PCB can be examined without removing the enclosure and will have the necessary ventilation and ingress protection for a long operating life.”