Letting the moon light the streets

Street lights dimmed at full moon

Have you ever lain awake because of strong moonlight shining through your curtains? A full moon in a clear sky can indeed be a powerful source of light. Even Roman military commanders were fully aware of this, often making use of a full moon to attack or move their troops for greater tactical advantage. It seems a bit strange then that modern street lights totally ignore the lighting power of the moon. This fact did not escape the attention of the San Francisco-based design firm Civil Twilight. They invented the ‘Lunar Resonant Street Lamp.’ They were rewarded with Metropolis Magazine’s top Next Generation Design Award for their efforts.

Their idea is as simple as it is bright. Their lamps have sensitive light sensors built into them that detect the changing brightness of the lunar cycle and the nighttime sky and dim themselves accordingly. If there is a full moon with a clear sky, the lamps dim to as much as 10 percent of their nominal output. This significantly reduces energy consumption. It also reduces unnecessary light pollution, providing the pleasure of improved visibility of the moon and stars. By making use of energy efficient LEDs, the lunar resonant streetlights have a combined savings of 90 to 95% over traditional street lights. Moreover, LED lights require less maintenance than traditional gas discharge lamps.