Technical theme
1. Dimming LED lighting
Tweet Innolumis is a strong proponent of dimming public lighting. Dimming conserves energy and therefore reduces costs. In addition, it is not always necessary for streets to be lit equally brightly.
Controlling light intensity
A dimmer is a piece of electronic equipment which controls light intensity. In most cases, the light intensity is adjusted to traffic levels. When it is quiet, the light intensity can be brought down. If it is busy, the light intensity goes up. According to the new Dutch guidelines for public lighting, current light intensity can be dimmed by two illumination classes. Most dimmers control light intensity according to a preset regime. Examples are the Dynadimmer and the Liandimmer. Other dimmers utilise a dynamic control of light intensity – for instance, adjusting the light intensity every ten minutes, depending on the detected volume of traffic.
Energy conservation with dimmed LEDs
The great advantage of dimming a LED over dimming conventional lamps such as PL or natrium lamps is that the volume of light is proportional to the energy consumed. A LED that burns at half its capacity also consumes half the energy. Dimming LEDs always yields energy reduction and is therefore usually paired with cost reduction. PL and natrium lamps, on the other hand, cannot be dimmed as efficiently, as a result of which the energy reduction is less. Dimming may then even be more expensive. Innolumis fixtures are standardly equipped with a dimmable driver so that a dimmer can easily be connected.
Dimming and lifecycle
LEDs are dimmed by reducing the electric current in the LED. An advantage of doing this is that the long lifespan is further increased. When the current is reduced, the operating temperature of the LED is lowered and the LED lasts even longer. The lifecycle of the LED is namely determined by the combination of heat management and the strength of the current passing through the LED.
The power factor when dimming
Another important aspect of dimming is the behaviour of the power factor. The power factor is the ratio between the actual power and the apparent power. For light sources, this factor indicates the efficiency with which electric power is conveyed to the light source. In the ideal case, the power factor is equal to 1. When conventional light sources are dimmed, the power factor drops, which is undesired. It is not uncommon that the power factor may drop below 0.5. Innolumis uses a Meanwell driver which ensures that the power factor remains above 0.85 at all times. This is unique!