Efficiency in Street Lighting Projects by Employing LED Luminaires and Mesopic Photometry

Abstract

This paper discusses the importance of adapting conventional photometric quantities when lighting systems with low luminance levels are under analysis, as is the case of public lighting or external lighting in general. In this sense, it is presented an alternative methodology for lighting projects in street lighting, considering the mesopic photometry. The CIE recommendation 191:2010 proposes correction factors that convert conventional photometric quantities (photopic) into quantities adapted to the corresponding mesopic level. However, a necessary parameter to obtain these correction factors is the relationship between the scotopic and photopic light fluxes of a given light source (S/P ratio), which requires special equipment that is not easily available to engineers, technicians and lighting designers. Thus, this paper proposes a general equation that provides the S/P ratio as a function of the correlative color temperature and the color reproduction index of the light source, which are information provided in the manufacturers’ catalogs or electric lamp packages. To illustrate the application of the experimentally derived relationship, a typical street lighting project is considered, specifically a retrofit from HPS lamps to modern LED luminaires. In this case, the conventional routine must be changed, allowing the adaptation of conventional quantities to mesopic quantities without the need for specialized equipment. The case study evidences that the use of mesopic photometry in conjunction with more appropriate technologies, such as LED luminaires, lead to a higher energy efficiency of the system.