Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Why LED FAA Lighting Is Better For Airports

By Helen Nelson


The Energy Independence and Security Act signed by George Bush on December 2017 is a law that calls for light bulb efficiency. As a result of this, many establishments in the United States have collectively opted to use LED lights, which are more energy efficient. These establishments also include airports. Airports have slowly adopted LED FAA lighting as a means of complying with the rules stipulated in this law.

Although the law did not necessarily call for the complete ban of incandescent bulbs, LEDs are simply better in many other aspects. While incandescent bulbs release ninety percent heat and only ten percent energy, LEDs emit only minimal heat and more energy. They also last significantly longer than other sources.

Researches have stated that LEDs can actively operate between 50000 to 100000 hours. This is around forty times more than incandescent lights. With a longer lifespan comes long term benefits such as increased savings, less manual labor, and fewer replacements. Since they are less hot, they are also safer in comparison to other lighting systems, particularly incandescent lights.

They can function well on low voltage electrical systems, making them more secure in instances of power complications. They are also adaptable to several functions because of their significantly smaller size compared to others. Unfortunately, even if they are ultimately better for the environment, many people still prefer inefficient incandescent lights.

One primary motivator for this is the fact that incandescents are much cheaper in the initial purchase and LED prices commonly begin at twenty dollars apiece. What most people fail to realize is that electrical costs are considerably lessened in the long term when they opt for light emitting diodes since they can run smoothly on low voltage. Moreover, fewer replacements mean fewer purchases and fewer expenditures. As an added bonus, LEDs are even brighter than other systems.

To manage environmental concerns, airports have joined the efforts in switching to LEDs, beginning with runways. However, the initial switch was not exactly smooth sailing for them. A surprising problem for them was the sheer concentration of the light.

What they failed to take into account was the increased brightness of the new lighting systems. The brightness had caused visibility problems for the pilots who made their landings on the runways. The intensity of the light emitting diodes, even on the lowest setting, simply could not match the rest of the lighting systems. This considerably impaired the perception of the pilots and effectively blinded them during touchdown.

As a solution to the initial complaints, the FAA introduced a solution for better command of the brightness setting of the lights. Instead of three, they installed five step regulators that allowed personnel to have increased control of the light settings. Along with inputs from the pilots themselves, the adjustments were made in order to guarantee safer landings.

At present, airports now have LEDs installed into jetways, tarmacs, hangars, and other places. The improvement and changes applied to the illuminating systems were made possible by noting down the initial issues that arose during the replacement. Passenger safety and visibility concerns were the primary issues that have since been solved. With these combined efforts, airports can generate much less energy than with incandescent systems. If anything, this proves that if airline companies can switch to eco friendlier solutions, we can too.




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