Demographic experts say the Earth’s population, about 7 billion now, could reach 10 billion by 2050. And Mattos, who grew up in Brazil, may have a better idea than most what the future will look like. His hometown is Sao Paulo, the planet’s seventh largest city. Its population is about 11 million — or more like 22 million, if you count the entire urban area anchored by the city.
But Mattos, a University of Georgia engineering graduate student, hopes he can help chart a way around the problem of vanishing agricultural land and find a way to feed the world’s billions — so-called vertical farming, growing crops indoors in tall buildings using artificial light.
But so far, the energy costs are too high — 25 percent to 35 percent of the entire cost of production — to make vertical farming economically feasible, he said.
Mattos hopes to cut those costs with a lighting system that combines LEDs and a computerized feedback system, and now he has a $30,000 scholarship to Silicon Valley’s Singularity University that could help him develop the idea into a commercially viable application.
Mattos’ idea, and the research he’s already done on it, helped him win a contest to become this year’s UGA representative to the summer course at Singularity. He’ll be one of 80 bright students from around the world who will gather at Singularity for 10 weeks beginning June 16.
The university aims to find solutions for the big problems of the future — like feeding the world’s people, maintaining water quality and keeping people safe.
The students will work on projects together, and will meet with technology industry leaders and investors.
“The most important thing is the networking,” said Mattos, who has already formed a company in hopes of marketing the lighting system he’s developing.
He’s been working on his idea in a laboratory at UGA’s Bioconversion Research and Education Center on Whitehall Road, where UGA scientists have been working for years to find ways of converting plant material into energy fuels such as diesel or ethanol.
Mattos is using algae in his first experiments, but eventually his lighting system will be applied to bigger crop plants.
His idea is simple in concept, but complex in application.
He puts little vials of algae suspended in water into chambers lit by LEDs, short for light-emitting diodes.
He varies how frequently each sample receives tiny doses of light, and also the color of light — blue, green or red. As the algae in the little vials begins to grow, the plants absorb more of the red and blue light. But as the algae grows and reproduces, the vials become more opaque and the algae begins to use more green light for photosynthesis.
Mattos is trying to figure out the optimum light conditions for the growth cycle. When he does that, he will use that information to build a kind of feedback system.
Sensors constantly measure how efficiently the plants are using the light, and can switch the colors and frequency of light exposure depending on how efficiently the algae is using the light.
2012年5月31日 星期四
2012年5月30日 星期三
Importer: Customs 'Waitingfour Years' For Bulb Ruling
A BAHAMIAN renewal energy services provider yesterday remained adamant it will not pay a 35 per cent import duty on LED lights, saying Customs had been waiting four years for advice on how to clasify them.
The Customs Department had previously told Tribune Business it was seeking a World Customs Organisation (WCO) decision on the appropriate import tariff for light bulbs and fixtures, after it had again found itself in conflict with Bahamian renewable energy solutions provider, Integrated Security Services (ISS).
]Philip Holdom, ISS executive manager, said yesterday: "Customs has been waiting for a response from the WCO for over fours years on this issue. I believe that as an autonomous sovereign nation it is within our power to use common sense in interpreting the Tariff Code correctly.
"This is not as complicated as they are making it out to be. ISS will not pay the 35 per cent duty for an LED light that is duty free, so as not to encourage this abuse of government power and dissolution of trust between commerce and the Customs Department."
Mr Holdom told Tribune Business last week that the Customs Department was holding up on a shipment of LED lights, having "arbitrarily" reclassified them as fixtures.
Mr Holdom said that due to a portion of the LED light shipment coming in under the Hotel Encouragement Act, Customs was subsequently forced to acknowledge them as duty free.
"We did not initially submit the shipment as under the Hotel Encouragement Act because of our assumption that the duty-free tariff code for LED lights still had meaning, Mr Holdom said.
He added that he was now being required to separate approximately 30 LED lights that would not be considered to be under the Hotel Encouragement Act, and would be charged at 35 per cent duty.
"ISS has expended over $5,000 of its own resources in this current unnecessary battle with the Customs Department, and over $15,000 two years ago over the same nonsense," Mr Holdom said.
Customs Comptroller, Charles Turner, in a recent interview told Tribune Business that Customs was having difficulties with the classification of bulbs and fixtures, and had sought the advice of the World Customs Organsiation's classification committee, so as not to appear biased in its decision.
Mr Turner told Tribune Business: "There is a question as to what is a bulb and what is a fixture. We are not the technical experts, but we wrote to the World Customs Organisations classification committee as to what is a bulb and what is a fixture.
"We don't want to show any bias in making our decision, which is why we wrote to them. We have some other persons in this same situation. We have written to them on those as well. It appears that they are having some problems with the classification as well. Usually they are quick with their decisions, but when they do have concerns they have to have further consultation. At times they to have challenges with these things. We will stand by their ruling."
The Customs Department had previously told Tribune Business it was seeking a World Customs Organisation (WCO) decision on the appropriate import tariff for light bulbs and fixtures, after it had again found itself in conflict with Bahamian renewable energy solutions provider, Integrated Security Services (ISS).
]Philip Holdom, ISS executive manager, said yesterday: "Customs has been waiting for a response from the WCO for over fours years on this issue. I believe that as an autonomous sovereign nation it is within our power to use common sense in interpreting the Tariff Code correctly.
"This is not as complicated as they are making it out to be. ISS will not pay the 35 per cent duty for an LED light that is duty free, so as not to encourage this abuse of government power and dissolution of trust between commerce and the Customs Department."
Mr Holdom told Tribune Business last week that the Customs Department was holding up on a shipment of LED lights, having "arbitrarily" reclassified them as fixtures.
Mr Holdom said that due to a portion of the LED light shipment coming in under the Hotel Encouragement Act, Customs was subsequently forced to acknowledge them as duty free.
"We did not initially submit the shipment as under the Hotel Encouragement Act because of our assumption that the duty-free tariff code for LED lights still had meaning, Mr Holdom said.
He added that he was now being required to separate approximately 30 LED lights that would not be considered to be under the Hotel Encouragement Act, and would be charged at 35 per cent duty.
"ISS has expended over $5,000 of its own resources in this current unnecessary battle with the Customs Department, and over $15,000 two years ago over the same nonsense," Mr Holdom said.
Customs Comptroller, Charles Turner, in a recent interview told Tribune Business that Customs was having difficulties with the classification of bulbs and fixtures, and had sought the advice of the World Customs Organsiation's classification committee, so as not to appear biased in its decision.
Mr Turner told Tribune Business: "There is a question as to what is a bulb and what is a fixture. We are not the technical experts, but we wrote to the World Customs Organisations classification committee as to what is a bulb and what is a fixture.
"We don't want to show any bias in making our decision, which is why we wrote to them. We have some other persons in this same situation. We have written to them on those as well. It appears that they are having some problems with the classification as well. Usually they are quick with their decisions, but when they do have concerns they have to have further consultation. At times they to have challenges with these things. We will stand by their ruling."
2012年5月29日 星期二
Designer Unveils Wooden Light Bulb
Without a doubt, one of my favorite parts of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair is always the Designboom Mart, a colorful, commerce-minded exhibition of 30-plus designers from across the globe testing out their new designs on the market for the very first time. And by testing out, I mean selling. (Interesting side story: Takeshi Miyakawa, the Brooklyn-based designer who provided a light installation for the exhibition, wasarrested during NY Design Week for suspicious, light installation-related activities).
This year’s Designboom Mart was particularly ripe with quirky goodies including shipping pallet coasters from Spanish firm Labyrinth and upcycled milk crate stools from New Jersey-based Combo Colab. I managed to score myself perhaps the least eco-friendly, most ridiculous thing for sale: tortilla chip-shaped, nacho cheese-scented memo notes from South Korea’s Peco Mart. I just couldn’t resist.
Another popular item at Designmart seemed to be cute wooden popsicles from Johnny Herrmann, the alter ego of Italian designer Mauro Savoldi. In addition to wooden popsicles, Savoldi is responsible for the 4 Watt Wooden Lamp, a collection of 50 incandescent-shaped lamps handmade from a variety of woods including pine, beech, and alder. The clever — and completely non-functional — wooden bulbs were shown as an installation (and for sale) at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair.
Savoldi’s 4 Watt Wooden Lamp concept got me thinking: what if there really was such a thing as a working light bulb made from wood? Impossible, you say?
As I found out this week, no, it’s most certainly not as Osaka-born designer Ryosuke Fukusada’s Wooden Light Bulb prototype has positively been blowing up around the interwebs, delighting and mystifying some while prompting others to double-check the batteries in their smoke detectors.
The Wooden Light Bulb — to be clear, it did not show as part of ICFF/NY Design Week — is actually an LED bulb completely encased in a super-thin wooden shell that Fukusada created using a traditional Japanese craft technique called Rokuro. The fixture’s incandescent-shaped body is chipped so thin — it does, however, appear to be solid like Savoldi’s wooden bulbs when turned off — that when the lamp is switched on, it does indeed glow from within. Magical!
Boasting an aluminum base, the Wooden Light Bulb is totally safe (although probably not that practical for actual lighting purposes) as LEDs, unlike incandescents, produce a very small amount of heat. So not to worry folks, the bulb isn’t a nightmarish, dangling fireball in disguise.
In addition to being energy-efficient and crazy beautiful, the Wooden Light Bulb is also deeply symbolic:
“The traditional craft technique is the real value behind the bulb. More than just a lamp, the bulb means to preserve cultural heritage and man’s timeless link to his true roots, nature. It was wood that gave light and heat to the oldest of civilizations. This lovely illuminant contrivance is perhaps symbolic of that golden age.”
Again, the Wooden Light Bulb is still in the prototype stages, although according to Fukusada’s website it’s being further developed so perhaps someday you’ll be able to own one yourself (I can picture Starbucks stores snatching these up by the truckload). For now, you’ll just have to settle for this.
This year’s Designboom Mart was particularly ripe with quirky goodies including shipping pallet coasters from Spanish firm Labyrinth and upcycled milk crate stools from New Jersey-based Combo Colab. I managed to score myself perhaps the least eco-friendly, most ridiculous thing for sale: tortilla chip-shaped, nacho cheese-scented memo notes from South Korea’s Peco Mart. I just couldn’t resist.
Another popular item at Designmart seemed to be cute wooden popsicles from Johnny Herrmann, the alter ego of Italian designer Mauro Savoldi. In addition to wooden popsicles, Savoldi is responsible for the 4 Watt Wooden Lamp, a collection of 50 incandescent-shaped lamps handmade from a variety of woods including pine, beech, and alder. The clever — and completely non-functional — wooden bulbs were shown as an installation (and for sale) at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair.
Savoldi’s 4 Watt Wooden Lamp concept got me thinking: what if there really was such a thing as a working light bulb made from wood? Impossible, you say?
As I found out this week, no, it’s most certainly not as Osaka-born designer Ryosuke Fukusada’s Wooden Light Bulb prototype has positively been blowing up around the interwebs, delighting and mystifying some while prompting others to double-check the batteries in their smoke detectors.
The Wooden Light Bulb — to be clear, it did not show as part of ICFF/NY Design Week — is actually an LED bulb completely encased in a super-thin wooden shell that Fukusada created using a traditional Japanese craft technique called Rokuro. The fixture’s incandescent-shaped body is chipped so thin — it does, however, appear to be solid like Savoldi’s wooden bulbs when turned off — that when the lamp is switched on, it does indeed glow from within. Magical!
Boasting an aluminum base, the Wooden Light Bulb is totally safe (although probably not that practical for actual lighting purposes) as LEDs, unlike incandescents, produce a very small amount of heat. So not to worry folks, the bulb isn’t a nightmarish, dangling fireball in disguise.
In addition to being energy-efficient and crazy beautiful, the Wooden Light Bulb is also deeply symbolic:
“The traditional craft technique is the real value behind the bulb. More than just a lamp, the bulb means to preserve cultural heritage and man’s timeless link to his true roots, nature. It was wood that gave light and heat to the oldest of civilizations. This lovely illuminant contrivance is perhaps symbolic of that golden age.”
Again, the Wooden Light Bulb is still in the prototype stages, although according to Fukusada’s website it’s being further developed so perhaps someday you’ll be able to own one yourself (I can picture Starbucks stores snatching these up by the truckload). For now, you’ll just have to settle for this.
2012年5月28日 星期一
Community development grants
Applications are now open for Community Development Grants of up to $2,000. Not-for-profit community groups are encouraged to apply for funding to assist in delivering projects and activities that will enhance the well-being and quality of life of borough residents. Applications close Friday June 29. Refer to council’s website for details.
Celebrating our volunteers
The work of our fabulous volunteers has been duly celebrated at a special evening held in their honour on Tuesday May 22, as part of National Volunteer Week. The generosity, patience, commitment and hard work of our local volunteers are very much appreciated, and forms part of the incredible spirit of this community. Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale would not be the same without them and again, we sincerely thank them.
Expressions of our youth
Take a moment to enjoy some fabulous photography taken by local young people as part of the National Youth Week art project Me, You and Us – Expressions of Youth. Our natural environment is a key feature of all works, currently on display at various sites around the borough, including the front of council offices.
Sea of Words
If you haven’t participated in any of the Sea of Words programming yet, you’re not too late. There are still a couple of activities coming up including a barbeque with food writer Bob Hart, and screenings as part of the Bellarine Lighthouse Films Winter Program. The full event program is available on council’s website.
Help celebrate National Reconciliation Week
Join together in reconciliation by celebrating and recognising our unique Aboriginal Australian culture at Point Lonsdale Primary School hall, Saturday June 2, 2–4pm. There will be a range of free fun and cultural activities for the family to participate in, as organised by the Queenscliffe Reconciliation Mob.
There’s no need to hibernate
The cold weather may be setting in but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck indoors. Stock up on winter woollies at a local fashion boutique and get out and about. There are plenty of things to do including local markets, the Queenscliffe Bricks LEGO display, film screenings, art exhibitions and live entertainment. Refer to the event listings on council’s website for more information.
Congratulations to the Vue Grand
The Vue Grand has been recognised as one of Victoria’s premier wedding venues at the recent Australian Bridal Industry Academy Awards. Well done to the Vue Grand team.
What do you think of the new energy efficient street lights?
Energy efficient compact fluorescent globes are being trialled in selected street lights in Mercer Street Queenscliff, between Symonds and King streets, and Glaneuse Road Point Lonsdale. The globes utilise as much as 52 per cent less electricity than the standard mercury vapour lights. Tell us what you think. Please send comments via email or in writing to the sustainability officer at Borough of Queenscliffe, PO Box 93, Queenscliff VIC 3225.
Local community insurance concerns
We welcome the response by Mr Paul Northey, general manager of RACV insurance, who has offered to meet with council to discuss the range of concerns raised by members of the community regarding increases in insurance premiums. This meeting will be designed to clarify the factors that RACV take into account when assessing risk and determining premiums, particularly for coastal properties.
Botanic Gardens Project Control Group
The Project Control Group for the development of the Botanic Gardens, at the former Queenscliff High School site, has been finalised. The group has a really good combination of skills and interests, which will add great value to the direction of the project.
The community members are Sue Wasterval, Joe Rutecki, Susan Salter, Mia Cooke and Fay Agterhuis. The two councillors appointed are Cr Merriman and Cr Davies, with Cr Merriman appointed chair. Two council officers will also be represented.
Celebrating our volunteers
The work of our fabulous volunteers has been duly celebrated at a special evening held in their honour on Tuesday May 22, as part of National Volunteer Week. The generosity, patience, commitment and hard work of our local volunteers are very much appreciated, and forms part of the incredible spirit of this community. Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale would not be the same without them and again, we sincerely thank them.
Expressions of our youth
Take a moment to enjoy some fabulous photography taken by local young people as part of the National Youth Week art project Me, You and Us – Expressions of Youth. Our natural environment is a key feature of all works, currently on display at various sites around the borough, including the front of council offices.
Sea of Words
If you haven’t participated in any of the Sea of Words programming yet, you’re not too late. There are still a couple of activities coming up including a barbeque with food writer Bob Hart, and screenings as part of the Bellarine Lighthouse Films Winter Program. The full event program is available on council’s website.
Help celebrate National Reconciliation Week
Join together in reconciliation by celebrating and recognising our unique Aboriginal Australian culture at Point Lonsdale Primary School hall, Saturday June 2, 2–4pm. There will be a range of free fun and cultural activities for the family to participate in, as organised by the Queenscliffe Reconciliation Mob.
There’s no need to hibernate
The cold weather may be setting in but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck indoors. Stock up on winter woollies at a local fashion boutique and get out and about. There are plenty of things to do including local markets, the Queenscliffe Bricks LEGO display, film screenings, art exhibitions and live entertainment. Refer to the event listings on council’s website for more information.
Congratulations to the Vue Grand
The Vue Grand has been recognised as one of Victoria’s premier wedding venues at the recent Australian Bridal Industry Academy Awards. Well done to the Vue Grand team.
What do you think of the new energy efficient street lights?
Energy efficient compact fluorescent globes are being trialled in selected street lights in Mercer Street Queenscliff, between Symonds and King streets, and Glaneuse Road Point Lonsdale. The globes utilise as much as 52 per cent less electricity than the standard mercury vapour lights. Tell us what you think. Please send comments via email or in writing to the sustainability officer at Borough of Queenscliffe, PO Box 93, Queenscliff VIC 3225.
Local community insurance concerns
We welcome the response by Mr Paul Northey, general manager of RACV insurance, who has offered to meet with council to discuss the range of concerns raised by members of the community regarding increases in insurance premiums. This meeting will be designed to clarify the factors that RACV take into account when assessing risk and determining premiums, particularly for coastal properties.
Botanic Gardens Project Control Group
The Project Control Group for the development of the Botanic Gardens, at the former Queenscliff High School site, has been finalised. The group has a really good combination of skills and interests, which will add great value to the direction of the project.
The community members are Sue Wasterval, Joe Rutecki, Susan Salter, Mia Cooke and Fay Agterhuis. The two councillors appointed are Cr Merriman and Cr Davies, with Cr Merriman appointed chair. Two council officers will also be represented.
2012年5月27日 星期日
Webber Wins Monaco Grand Prix
Still, the procession was tight, with the top four finishers within 1.3 seconds of each other. Webber finished only 0.6 seconds from Nico Rosberg in a Mercedes and 0.9 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso in a Ferrari.
Had it not been for a penalty that he received for causing an accident at the previous race in Spain two weeks ago, Michael Schumacher would most likely have won his sixth Monaco Grand Prix, and written history yet again. Instead, after the 43-year-old German scored his fourth pole position in the principality on Saturday, 18 years after his first pole here, he was bumped back to sixth position to start at a race where leading from the beginning usually means finishing in the lead as well.
For a brief time, then, it looked as if the Monaco Grand Prix, the 70th in this city-state, would be a historic edition — although it already was, with Schumacher’s extraordinary exploit. Then, Sunday, before the start of the race, all the ingredients were there on the grid for another glitzy, glamorous affair, with the attending stars and V.I.P.’s including Eric Clapton, Antonio Banderas and Ron Howard.
But once the race began, and Webber had inherited the pole position, there was little more excitement and the script went as it often does, with the pole man leading from start to finish, with the exception of the disorder that followed the pit stop period near the halfway point of the 78-lap race.
There was a moment where it looked as if Webber’s teammate, Sebastian Vettel, who won the race last year, might pull off a feat as he started ninth and managed to run for 45 laps on the same set of tires, delaying his pit stop longer than any of the other drivers.
But he could never build up enough distance to return from the pits in the lead again, and instead, he slotted his car into fourth, just behind those of Webber, Rosberg and Alonso.
“He was doing some pretty quick lap times, and it was hard for us to keep going,” Webber said of his teammate. “Once Seb pitted, I could put my concentration back to Nico.”
For much of the race, rain was predicted and the skies were overcast, and the spectators and also the drivers lower down the pack hoped that the rain would come and change the order as drivers made pit stops for rain tires or skidded off a wet track.
It was never to be. Webber drove an impeccable race on the series’ most difficult track, where overtaking is virtually impossible and where a driver must have nerves of steel to not make an error and end up running into the barriers along the side of the track.
When a light rain began to fall from the edge of a deluge just a few kilometers away, Webber simply slowed down and held the others behind him.
“At other tracks you don’t need to back off like that,” Webber said of his reaction to the light rain. “But it required me to really control the race.”
The only real excitement of the race was during the crazy start, when Schumacher tried to squeeze his car past the Lotus of Romain Grosjean to move up the pack from his sixth place. At the same time Grosjean and Alonso touched, and Grosjean failed to see Schumacher. The rear wheel of the Lotus struck the German’s Mercedes and Grosjean spun around, causing chaos that knocked out two other cars.
Had it not been for a penalty that he received for causing an accident at the previous race in Spain two weeks ago, Michael Schumacher would most likely have won his sixth Monaco Grand Prix, and written history yet again. Instead, after the 43-year-old German scored his fourth pole position in the principality on Saturday, 18 years after his first pole here, he was bumped back to sixth position to start at a race where leading from the beginning usually means finishing in the lead as well.
For a brief time, then, it looked as if the Monaco Grand Prix, the 70th in this city-state, would be a historic edition — although it already was, with Schumacher’s extraordinary exploit. Then, Sunday, before the start of the race, all the ingredients were there on the grid for another glitzy, glamorous affair, with the attending stars and V.I.P.’s including Eric Clapton, Antonio Banderas and Ron Howard.
But once the race began, and Webber had inherited the pole position, there was little more excitement and the script went as it often does, with the pole man leading from start to finish, with the exception of the disorder that followed the pit stop period near the halfway point of the 78-lap race.
There was a moment where it looked as if Webber’s teammate, Sebastian Vettel, who won the race last year, might pull off a feat as he started ninth and managed to run for 45 laps on the same set of tires, delaying his pit stop longer than any of the other drivers.
But he could never build up enough distance to return from the pits in the lead again, and instead, he slotted his car into fourth, just behind those of Webber, Rosberg and Alonso.
“He was doing some pretty quick lap times, and it was hard for us to keep going,” Webber said of his teammate. “Once Seb pitted, I could put my concentration back to Nico.”
For much of the race, rain was predicted and the skies were overcast, and the spectators and also the drivers lower down the pack hoped that the rain would come and change the order as drivers made pit stops for rain tires or skidded off a wet track.
It was never to be. Webber drove an impeccable race on the series’ most difficult track, where overtaking is virtually impossible and where a driver must have nerves of steel to not make an error and end up running into the barriers along the side of the track.
When a light rain began to fall from the edge of a deluge just a few kilometers away, Webber simply slowed down and held the others behind him.
“At other tracks you don’t need to back off like that,” Webber said of his reaction to the light rain. “But it required me to really control the race.”
The only real excitement of the race was during the crazy start, when Schumacher tried to squeeze his car past the Lotus of Romain Grosjean to move up the pack from his sixth place. At the same time Grosjean and Alonso touched, and Grosjean failed to see Schumacher. The rear wheel of the Lotus struck the German’s Mercedes and Grosjean spun around, causing chaos that knocked out two other cars.
2012年5月24日 星期四
Toshiba to light up the Mona Lisa with LED and extend partnership with Louvre to interior lighting
Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has reached a basic agreement with the Louvre Museum to replace part of the interior lighting of the Louvre with its own LED lighting. This is Phase 2 of a renovation project that Toshiba Corporation and the Louvre Museum have pursued in partnership since 2010. This next project phase will see renovation of LED lighting in important interior spaces of the museum. It includes specific exhibit lighting for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa , and for the Red Rooms, which display famous masterpieces such as Jacques-Louis David's Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the Empress Josephine , as well as the Napoleon Hall, the Louvre's main entrance.
As part of the project, a dedicated lighting system will be installed for the Mona Lisa, and the Red Rooms' ceiling fixtures will be converted to LED by the end of May 2013. Lighting in the Napoleon Hall is expected be converted to LED by the first half of 2014.
Under a partnership agreement with the Louvre , Toshiba has already lit up parts of the Louvre's exterior, including I.M. Pei's Pyramid. The implementation of the second phase of the project is testament to the successful collaboration between Toshiba and the Louvre Museum in balancing environmental and aesthetic considerations during the exterior lighting renovation phase.
Part of the LED lighting replacement work, which included the Pyramid, Pyramidion and the Colbert Pavilion, was completed last December, and installation of LED lighting for the whole of Cour Napoleon, the first phase of lighting renovation, was completed on May 12. It has taken approximately two years, since the project commenced in June 2010, for all the lighting in the Cour Napoleon to be converted to LED. Renovation of LED lighting in the Cour Carre is also scheduled to complete in 2013.
Through the renovation of exterior lighting, Toshiba and the Louvre Museum is reducing power consumption by 73% without compromising the visual beauty of the museum. The renovation process involved repeated consultations with the Historical Monuments Committee and the Architecture and Heritage Service. This partnership has pursued artistic integrity in the LED lighting from every conceivable perspective: the shape of the fixtures, illumination brightness, color tone and installation angle, to achieve a lighting finish that respects the scenery of Paris. The fusion of French artistry with Japanese technology that Toshiba has promoted has been realized ultimately through numerous innovations. Toshiba will continue to refine its technical skills in the pursuit of the potential of LED lighting.
Since April 2010 Toshiba Corporation has undertaken new lighting projects on a global scale as part of its approach to creating a new lighting culture in harmony with people and the environment. Toshiba perceives this project as an important exemplar of how to extend the longevity and sustain the aesthetic integrity of world heritage sites. As one of the world's foremost eco-conscious companies, Toshiba will further enhance its technical capabilities through experience gained at the Louvre, while contributing to global culture and the mitigation of environmental burdens. Outline of Partnership Agreement for Phase 2 of the Louvre Museum LED Lighting
As part of the project, a dedicated lighting system will be installed for the Mona Lisa, and the Red Rooms' ceiling fixtures will be converted to LED by the end of May 2013. Lighting in the Napoleon Hall is expected be converted to LED by the first half of 2014.
Under a partnership agreement with the Louvre , Toshiba has already lit up parts of the Louvre's exterior, including I.M. Pei's Pyramid. The implementation of the second phase of the project is testament to the successful collaboration between Toshiba and the Louvre Museum in balancing environmental and aesthetic considerations during the exterior lighting renovation phase.
Part of the LED lighting replacement work, which included the Pyramid, Pyramidion and the Colbert Pavilion, was completed last December, and installation of LED lighting for the whole of Cour Napoleon, the first phase of lighting renovation, was completed on May 12. It has taken approximately two years, since the project commenced in June 2010, for all the lighting in the Cour Napoleon to be converted to LED. Renovation of LED lighting in the Cour Carre is also scheduled to complete in 2013.
Through the renovation of exterior lighting, Toshiba and the Louvre Museum is reducing power consumption by 73% without compromising the visual beauty of the museum. The renovation process involved repeated consultations with the Historical Monuments Committee and the Architecture and Heritage Service. This partnership has pursued artistic integrity in the LED lighting from every conceivable perspective: the shape of the fixtures, illumination brightness, color tone and installation angle, to achieve a lighting finish that respects the scenery of Paris. The fusion of French artistry with Japanese technology that Toshiba has promoted has been realized ultimately through numerous innovations. Toshiba will continue to refine its technical skills in the pursuit of the potential of LED lighting.
Since April 2010 Toshiba Corporation has undertaken new lighting projects on a global scale as part of its approach to creating a new lighting culture in harmony with people and the environment. Toshiba perceives this project as an important exemplar of how to extend the longevity and sustain the aesthetic integrity of world heritage sites. As one of the world's foremost eco-conscious companies, Toshiba will further enhance its technical capabilities through experience gained at the Louvre, while contributing to global culture and the mitigation of environmental burdens. Outline of Partnership Agreement for Phase 2 of the Louvre Museum LED Lighting
2012年5月23日 星期三
Perkins Hall offers sustainable options for events; Open House Saturday
CFL and LED bulbs -- indoors and out -- are the only NEW items at Perkins Hall in the heart of the Historic District in Eureka Springs. Almost everything else is vintage, recycled, re-purposed, up-cycled and unique. Even the building is re-cycled -- a former storage building for a lumber mill, circa 1891.
The public is invited to an Open House at Perkins Hall this Saturday, May 26, from 6 to 9 p.m., at 76 Center St. in Eureka Springs. Live entertainment will be provided by Brick Fields, who is Larry Brick and Rachel Fields.
Four local artists will exhibit their works: Julie Kahn, Kirk Lanier, Paula Jones, Caitlin Cantele. Local food will be provided by Eureka Sweets and Norma, Jean's Cuisine, using local eggs and vegetables from the Eureka Springs Farmers Market. Shannon's Custom Florals will include home-grown flowers.
Autographed copies of "Eureka Springs, Arkansas and the Surrounding Countryside" by Chip Ford will be for sale; 40 percent of proceeds from book sales at the Open House will go to support the natural springs. All guests also are encouraged to make a donation to the Springs Committee.
In addition, guests may enter a drawing for a photograph by Kirk Lanier.
Wine served at the Open House will be from Chateau Aux Arc Vineyards in Altus, committed to sustainable practices and reducing its carbon footprint.
With a theme of "Big events, little footprints," Perkins Hall will open in June for low-impact social events that are easy on the budget and easy on the planet. Sustainable practices will be used to the fullest extent possible for weddings, receptions, birthdays, anniversaries, luncheons, awards dinners, art exhibits, parties, celebrations and social events of all kinds.
In preparation for the opening, hundreds of pieces of stemware, dinnerware, flatware and cloth napkins have been collected from estate sales, garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores and attics of friends.
A bar from a previous restaurant downtown has been installed. Vintage light fixtures have been retrofitted for CFL and LED bulbs.
Furnishings are vintage -- most with original upholstery and some re-purposed with new upholstery.
Two outdoor ponds with running water include fish and lily pads, and frogs have moved in.
Food choices have been selected using local foods to the fullest extent possible. Food waste will be composted to go to the Farmers Market.
A retro turquoise-colored television plays black-and-white Marilyn Monroe movies.
An old wooden porch swing is available for relaxing on the first-level porch. The second-level porch includes a retro glider. Many more unique surprises await guests.
And, of course, recycling bins will be available for guests to recycle any glass bottles or aluminum cans.
The public is invited to an Open House at Perkins Hall this Saturday, May 26, from 6 to 9 p.m., at 76 Center St. in Eureka Springs. Live entertainment will be provided by Brick Fields, who is Larry Brick and Rachel Fields.
Four local artists will exhibit their works: Julie Kahn, Kirk Lanier, Paula Jones, Caitlin Cantele. Local food will be provided by Eureka Sweets and Norma, Jean's Cuisine, using local eggs and vegetables from the Eureka Springs Farmers Market. Shannon's Custom Florals will include home-grown flowers.
Autographed copies of "Eureka Springs, Arkansas and the Surrounding Countryside" by Chip Ford will be for sale; 40 percent of proceeds from book sales at the Open House will go to support the natural springs. All guests also are encouraged to make a donation to the Springs Committee.
In addition, guests may enter a drawing for a photograph by Kirk Lanier.
Wine served at the Open House will be from Chateau Aux Arc Vineyards in Altus, committed to sustainable practices and reducing its carbon footprint.
With a theme of "Big events, little footprints," Perkins Hall will open in June for low-impact social events that are easy on the budget and easy on the planet. Sustainable practices will be used to the fullest extent possible for weddings, receptions, birthdays, anniversaries, luncheons, awards dinners, art exhibits, parties, celebrations and social events of all kinds.
In preparation for the opening, hundreds of pieces of stemware, dinnerware, flatware and cloth napkins have been collected from estate sales, garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores and attics of friends.
A bar from a previous restaurant downtown has been installed. Vintage light fixtures have been retrofitted for CFL and LED bulbs.
Furnishings are vintage -- most with original upholstery and some re-purposed with new upholstery.
Two outdoor ponds with running water include fish and lily pads, and frogs have moved in.
Food choices have been selected using local foods to the fullest extent possible. Food waste will be composted to go to the Farmers Market.
A retro turquoise-colored television plays black-and-white Marilyn Monroe movies.
An old wooden porch swing is available for relaxing on the first-level porch. The second-level porch includes a retro glider. Many more unique surprises await guests.
And, of course, recycling bins will be available for guests to recycle any glass bottles or aluminum cans.
2012年5月22日 星期二
3M Architectural Markets + Todd Bracher Unveils "Virtual LED" Technology at WantedDesign
3M Architectural Markets made its debut in the lighting market in a dramatic fashion, collaborating with designer Todd Bracher to showcase an innovative, state-of-the-art new lighting effect at this year's WantedDesign event at Tunnel in the Terminal Stores during New York Design Week. The "Virtual LED," enabled by 3M technology, was revealed via an experimental iteration of the company's modular architectural lighting system known as Lightfalls, designed by Todd Bracher.
The "Virtual LED" and the Lightfalls system are born from the marriage of Todd Bracher's creative vision and 3M's technical prowess, Lightfalls capitalizes on the laws of physics to distribute light from a single LED source over a large space to create a "Virtual LED" driven by 3M technology. The key to enabling the "Virtual LED" is a more than 98% reflective proprietary 3M film that efficiently steers the light of a single LED from one module to another. The final effect creates the image of multiple LED bulbs when in reality there is only one.
"Lightfalls is the result of physics meeting design," said Bracher. "I share a fascination with 3M's applied sciences and find the opportunity to exercise concepts that are only achievable in collaboration with 3M as the cornerstone of our relationship."
3M's new lighting line is built on the principle that physics driven solutions are the counterpart of good design, which align with Bracher's core design ideals.
"I believe that design should be driven by reason and function, so when I saw 3M's true technical clout, engineering skills and materials expertise, it was the perfect opportunity. It is also exciting to be working with such an iconic American technology manufacturer, and I believe collaborations like this are a must within our industry if we are to continue to evolve both commercially and ideologically," Bracher said.
Wanted Design facilitates the interchange of unique and innovative ideas, and 3M Architectural Markets saw this type of event as an opportunity to debut exciting new technologies while exchanging inspiration with some of the sharpest minds in the design industry. In yet another collaborative design partnership, 3M will introduce AIR and FLEX by 3M at this year's NeoCon show in June with a booth designed by James Mansour, making 2012 a year of exciting, ready-for-market additions to the 3M Architectural Markets lighting portfolio.
In addition to its lighting technologies, 3M also showcased several of its surface solutions at Wanted Design, most notably 3M(TM) Crystal Glass Finishes in Dusted Crystal, which was applied to the front window of the event space. 3M(TM) Crystal Glass Finishes was also seen on signage throughout design week, calling attention to products and exhibits that were deemed unique and design-forward by the editors of Metropolis magazine through its "Metropolis Likes" campaign.
About 3M Architectural Markets Based on 3M's tradition of innovation, technological know-how and information resources, 3M Architectural Markets offers flexible, creative and technologically advanced surface finishing and lighting solutions for architecture and interior design.
The "Virtual LED" and the Lightfalls system are born from the marriage of Todd Bracher's creative vision and 3M's technical prowess, Lightfalls capitalizes on the laws of physics to distribute light from a single LED source over a large space to create a "Virtual LED" driven by 3M technology. The key to enabling the "Virtual LED" is a more than 98% reflective proprietary 3M film that efficiently steers the light of a single LED from one module to another. The final effect creates the image of multiple LED bulbs when in reality there is only one.
"Lightfalls is the result of physics meeting design," said Bracher. "I share a fascination with 3M's applied sciences and find the opportunity to exercise concepts that are only achievable in collaboration with 3M as the cornerstone of our relationship."
3M's new lighting line is built on the principle that physics driven solutions are the counterpart of good design, which align with Bracher's core design ideals.
"I believe that design should be driven by reason and function, so when I saw 3M's true technical clout, engineering skills and materials expertise, it was the perfect opportunity. It is also exciting to be working with such an iconic American technology manufacturer, and I believe collaborations like this are a must within our industry if we are to continue to evolve both commercially and ideologically," Bracher said.
Wanted Design facilitates the interchange of unique and innovative ideas, and 3M Architectural Markets saw this type of event as an opportunity to debut exciting new technologies while exchanging inspiration with some of the sharpest minds in the design industry. In yet another collaborative design partnership, 3M will introduce AIR and FLEX by 3M at this year's NeoCon show in June with a booth designed by James Mansour, making 2012 a year of exciting, ready-for-market additions to the 3M Architectural Markets lighting portfolio.
In addition to its lighting technologies, 3M also showcased several of its surface solutions at Wanted Design, most notably 3M(TM) Crystal Glass Finishes in Dusted Crystal, which was applied to the front window of the event space. 3M(TM) Crystal Glass Finishes was also seen on signage throughout design week, calling attention to products and exhibits that were deemed unique and design-forward by the editors of Metropolis magazine through its "Metropolis Likes" campaign.
About 3M Architectural Markets Based on 3M's tradition of innovation, technological know-how and information resources, 3M Architectural Markets offers flexible, creative and technologically advanced surface finishing and lighting solutions for architecture and interior design.
2012年5月21日 星期一
Noribachi LED lighting outshines fluorescents
Noribachi, a smart energy LED and solar lighting company, recently saw its ultra-efficient, cold-temperature-compatible LED fixtures successfully installed by Mark Pereira of CIM Electric at Agro-Jal Farms' new cold storage warehouse.
Agro-Jal, one of the largest farming and cooling operations in California's Central Coast region, has consistently been ahead of the curve with energy efficiency and cooling technology. It has been the exclusive berry provider for the Kentucky Derby horserace for many years. Agro-Jal's cold storage facilities service not only their own produce, but also help other regional farms cool and process their products.
Agro-Jal's new cooler takes advantage of technologies including ammonia-cooled wind tunnels, an ice packing machine originally conceived to make ice for zoo penguins, and the new Noribachi LED fixtures. Combined, these save the facility significant amounts on monthly cooling and lighting energy costs.
Noribachi's HIGHBAY.M fixtures deliver a bright, natural white light that allows fruit and vegetable inspectors to determine ripeness without taking a trip outside, an inconvenience the previous HID lighting had necessitated with its yellow tinge. Noribachi LED lighting is also completely unaffected by the 34 degree F environment, whereas traditional lighting suffers lifetime shortages and turn-on delays.
The HIGHBAY.M fixtures provide so much clean light that in one room Agro-Jal director Eric Gamble was able to scale back from 25 fluorescent fixtures to just seven LED fixtures while achieving superior light output. This not only made the Noribachi system as cost-competitive as fluorescents, but kept toxic fluorescent bulbs away from food products.
"It's only a matter of time before the FDA says we can't have fluorescents anywhere close to food due to their mercury content," said Gamble. "I'm staying ahead of the game by installing LEDs now. Clearly LEDs are the future of food safe lighting. It is an obvious choice."
Most of the LED fixtures at Agro-Jal are also equipped with motion-sensing on/off technology, further reducing energy use. "It's an incredible value for light output versus wattage," said Pereira of CIM Electric, contracted to complete the installation.
With the spring harvest just around the corner at the time of installation, it was imperative for Agro-Jal to finish its new cold warehouse quickly. The Noribachi LED fixtures were more than up to the task. "The ease of installation was an 8 out of 10, and I was very impressed by the quality of the fixture itself. It's really well put together," said Pereira.
Agro-Jal, one of the largest farming and cooling operations in California's Central Coast region, has consistently been ahead of the curve with energy efficiency and cooling technology. It has been the exclusive berry provider for the Kentucky Derby horserace for many years. Agro-Jal's cold storage facilities service not only their own produce, but also help other regional farms cool and process their products.
Agro-Jal's new cooler takes advantage of technologies including ammonia-cooled wind tunnels, an ice packing machine originally conceived to make ice for zoo penguins, and the new Noribachi LED fixtures. Combined, these save the facility significant amounts on monthly cooling and lighting energy costs.
Noribachi's HIGHBAY.M fixtures deliver a bright, natural white light that allows fruit and vegetable inspectors to determine ripeness without taking a trip outside, an inconvenience the previous HID lighting had necessitated with its yellow tinge. Noribachi LED lighting is also completely unaffected by the 34 degree F environment, whereas traditional lighting suffers lifetime shortages and turn-on delays.
The HIGHBAY.M fixtures provide so much clean light that in one room Agro-Jal director Eric Gamble was able to scale back from 25 fluorescent fixtures to just seven LED fixtures while achieving superior light output. This not only made the Noribachi system as cost-competitive as fluorescents, but kept toxic fluorescent bulbs away from food products.
"It's only a matter of time before the FDA says we can't have fluorescents anywhere close to food due to their mercury content," said Gamble. "I'm staying ahead of the game by installing LEDs now. Clearly LEDs are the future of food safe lighting. It is an obvious choice."
Most of the LED fixtures at Agro-Jal are also equipped with motion-sensing on/off technology, further reducing energy use. "It's an incredible value for light output versus wattage," said Pereira of CIM Electric, contracted to complete the installation.
With the spring harvest just around the corner at the time of installation, it was imperative for Agro-Jal to finish its new cold warehouse quickly. The Noribachi LED fixtures were more than up to the task. "The ease of installation was an 8 out of 10, and I was very impressed by the quality of the fixture itself. It's really well put together," said Pereira.
2012年5月20日 星期日
Rehabbed house gains suite space
This four-bedroom, single-family Colonial in Cambridgeport has undergone an architect-designed total rehab, opening up the living spaces and bedrooms and adding a basement-level au pair/in-law suite.
The 2,875-square-foot home at 32 Decatur St. features Brazilian cherrywood floors throughout, formal living and dining rooms with an open gas fireplace between them, a black granite and maple kitchen and redone master bedroom suite. It’s on the market for $1.399 million.
The exterior of the house has new olive-painted clapboard siding, white trim and all-new windows and roof. It’s surrounded by fencing and has landscaped areas, a brick driveway and granite-paver patio.
You enter the home into a cherrywood foyer with a closet that holds the home’s new forced-air gas heating and central air-conditioning system.
To the right through a French door are formal living and dining rooms with cherrywood floors, recessed lighting and lots of windows. The two rooms are semi-divided by a wall with a two-sided gas fireplace. The dining room features a built-in storage cabinet/bar.
To the left of the foyer, through a second French door is a kitchen rehabbed and expanded with a den/dining area in 2008. This recessed-lit space also has lots of windows, including a three-bay window bumpout. There are 21 maple cabinets (many large pantry sized), Absolut black granite counters and island and Jenn-Air stainless-steel appliances, including a double-door refrigerator, dishwasher and four-burner gas stove with a fluted hood. The den/dining area has a antique-style cast-iron gas fireplace and glass doors out to a mahogany-decked back porch.
The porch leads down to a fenced-in granite paver patio with a trellis gate leading to a small landscaped back yard.
Back inside, there’s also a ceramic-tiled half bath near a staircase that leads up to three bedrooms on the second floor. The master bedroom suite has cherrywood floors, recessed lighting, a vaulted ceiling and a cast-iron antique fireplace. There’s a walk-in closet space and the master bathroom has black ceramic tile floors and white tile walls for a walk-in shower with a just-added glass door.
The second bedroom has vaulted ceilings and recessed lighting. But the third bedroom is smaller. In between is a full ceramic-tiled bath.
The current owners dug down into the basement to create a 900-square-foot au pair/in-law suite, with black ceramic tile floors. There’s a living room, with a bath off to one side, a kitchen with functional cabinets and average appliances, and a bedroom with a full bathroom that has its own stacked washer and dryer. The suite has a ground-level private entrance.
The 2,875-square-foot home at 32 Decatur St. features Brazilian cherrywood floors throughout, formal living and dining rooms with an open gas fireplace between them, a black granite and maple kitchen and redone master bedroom suite. It’s on the market for $1.399 million.
The exterior of the house has new olive-painted clapboard siding, white trim and all-new windows and roof. It’s surrounded by fencing and has landscaped areas, a brick driveway and granite-paver patio.
You enter the home into a cherrywood foyer with a closet that holds the home’s new forced-air gas heating and central air-conditioning system.
To the right through a French door are formal living and dining rooms with cherrywood floors, recessed lighting and lots of windows. The two rooms are semi-divided by a wall with a two-sided gas fireplace. The dining room features a built-in storage cabinet/bar.
To the left of the foyer, through a second French door is a kitchen rehabbed and expanded with a den/dining area in 2008. This recessed-lit space also has lots of windows, including a three-bay window bumpout. There are 21 maple cabinets (many large pantry sized), Absolut black granite counters and island and Jenn-Air stainless-steel appliances, including a double-door refrigerator, dishwasher and four-burner gas stove with a fluted hood. The den/dining area has a antique-style cast-iron gas fireplace and glass doors out to a mahogany-decked back porch.
The porch leads down to a fenced-in granite paver patio with a trellis gate leading to a small landscaped back yard.
Back inside, there’s also a ceramic-tiled half bath near a staircase that leads up to three bedrooms on the second floor. The master bedroom suite has cherrywood floors, recessed lighting, a vaulted ceiling and a cast-iron antique fireplace. There’s a walk-in closet space and the master bathroom has black ceramic tile floors and white tile walls for a walk-in shower with a just-added glass door.
The second bedroom has vaulted ceilings and recessed lighting. But the third bedroom is smaller. In between is a full ceramic-tiled bath.
The current owners dug down into the basement to create a 900-square-foot au pair/in-law suite, with black ceramic tile floors. There’s a living room, with a bath off to one side, a kitchen with functional cabinets and average appliances, and a bedroom with a full bathroom that has its own stacked washer and dryer. The suite has a ground-level private entrance.
2012年5月17日 星期四
Art Institute Celebrates Pop Art Icon With "Miles of LED Lights," Hundreds of Balloons
During the three-course dinner, guests sat at long, mirror-top tables with decor from Bill Heffernan of HMR Design Group. Inspired by Lichenstein's painting "Whaam!," Heffernan topped tables with dramatic crossed mirror shards. Meant to look like they were exploding out the tables, the colorful structures contrasted the airy white backdrop of the event space. According to Heffernan, the decorative scheme employed "110 seven-foot shards, miles of internal LED lighting, and 110 panes of glass mirror."
The name of well-known boutique owner and fashion stylist Ikram Goldman headlined the after-party invite. "Think of Ikram as a special host for the Lichtenstein opening celebration," said the museum's associate director of public affairs Chai Lee. "She was asked by Francie Comer, who is the president of the Art Institute's woman's board, to organize the party. Ikram is so well connected not only in Chicago but all over the world. The Lichtenstein exhibition opening was the perfect occasion to throw a fun, out-of-the-box opening soiree to celebrate an international exhibition of such magnitude."
Known for her lavish and dramatic style of entertaining in addition to her fashion sense, "Ikram brought her creativity and style to all aspects of the evening," Lee said. "She definitely brought her talents and extraordinary ideas to the Art Institute."
Kehoe Designs took over decorative duty for Crash the Gala, surrounding the normally minimalist restaurant with red and metallic drapes. At the entrance to the fete, an abstract art installation included a graffiti wall and sculptures made from painted hangers. Inside, Rococo-style lounge furniture with golden pillows provided seating in one room, while overstuffed white couches and a ceiling filled with balloons spruced up the next. A tiled bar with an illuminated-vodka-bottle backdrops was a popular attraction in the first room; in the second, guests got drinks at illuminated white bars.
While the earlier gala offered Blue Plate Catering's venison with lingonberries, sun-dried apricots with whipped Stilton cheese, and herb-roasted lamb loin, Bon Appetit servers circulated the after-party with pizza in cardboard boxes, corn dogs, and plates full bacon. Hot dog carts offered the Chicago-style snacks with all the traditional toppings, and an ice cream bar served casual desserts.
As the night wore on, entertainment ranged from dance tracks spun by DJ Jesse De La Pena to drag performers belting out show tunes and to a burlesque performer who bore (almost) all for the crowd. Goldman herself spun around the room with a microphone, shouting that certain of her friends and clients were "in the house" and providing frequent whoops of "woot woot" to ramp up the crowd.
"The after-party is a great opportunity to attract an entirely different crowd to the event with a lower ticket price," Lee said. "Crash the Gala definitely achieved that." Some 600 guests attended the $1,500-a-head dinner, while 500 purchased $100 tickets to the late-night celebration.
The name of well-known boutique owner and fashion stylist Ikram Goldman headlined the after-party invite. "Think of Ikram as a special host for the Lichtenstein opening celebration," said the museum's associate director of public affairs Chai Lee. "She was asked by Francie Comer, who is the president of the Art Institute's woman's board, to organize the party. Ikram is so well connected not only in Chicago but all over the world. The Lichtenstein exhibition opening was the perfect occasion to throw a fun, out-of-the-box opening soiree to celebrate an international exhibition of such magnitude."
Known for her lavish and dramatic style of entertaining in addition to her fashion sense, "Ikram brought her creativity and style to all aspects of the evening," Lee said. "She definitely brought her talents and extraordinary ideas to the Art Institute."
Kehoe Designs took over decorative duty for Crash the Gala, surrounding the normally minimalist restaurant with red and metallic drapes. At the entrance to the fete, an abstract art installation included a graffiti wall and sculptures made from painted hangers. Inside, Rococo-style lounge furniture with golden pillows provided seating in one room, while overstuffed white couches and a ceiling filled with balloons spruced up the next. A tiled bar with an illuminated-vodka-bottle backdrops was a popular attraction in the first room; in the second, guests got drinks at illuminated white bars.
While the earlier gala offered Blue Plate Catering's venison with lingonberries, sun-dried apricots with whipped Stilton cheese, and herb-roasted lamb loin, Bon Appetit servers circulated the after-party with pizza in cardboard boxes, corn dogs, and plates full bacon. Hot dog carts offered the Chicago-style snacks with all the traditional toppings, and an ice cream bar served casual desserts.
As the night wore on, entertainment ranged from dance tracks spun by DJ Jesse De La Pena to drag performers belting out show tunes and to a burlesque performer who bore (almost) all for the crowd. Goldman herself spun around the room with a microphone, shouting that certain of her friends and clients were "in the house" and providing frequent whoops of "woot woot" to ramp up the crowd.
"The after-party is a great opportunity to attract an entirely different crowd to the event with a lower ticket price," Lee said. "Crash the Gala definitely achieved that." Some 600 guests attended the $1,500-a-head dinner, while 500 purchased $100 tickets to the late-night celebration.
2012年5月16日 星期三
Dow Electronic Materials Expands its LED Technologies’ Portfolio to Include Specialty Phosphor Technology
Dow Electronic Materials, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company today announced its bolt-on acquisition of Lightscape Materials, Inc., a spin-off of SRI International. Lightscape Materials is a private, US-based research company with intellectual property in specialty phosphor technology. Major Lightscape Materials’ investors included Wisepower, a Korean company, and Silicon-Valley based SRI International. The investment enables Dow to add phosphor technology to the Company’s existing LED technologies portfolio.
“The novel phosphor compositions developed by Lightscape Materials enable improved quality, reliability and output color of LED light-based systems,” said Leo Linehan, global general manager for Dow Electronic Materials’ Growth Technologies business. “We look forward to helping customers incorporate these advanced phosphors into their processes, while providing the local service, support and supply they have come to expect from Dow.” Linehan added, “We are equally pleased to have the expertise of Lightscape co-founders Gerard Frederickson and Yongchi Tian as part of our LED Technologies team.”
Wisepower CEO Gi-Ho Park said, “Dow Chemical was the ideal acquirer for Lightscape Materials. Dow’s investments in LED-related materials and their global marketing reach was a factor in our decision to choose Dow,” said Park. “Lightscape is a unique phosphor player capable of delivering novel phosphors crucial to high CRI LED packages.”
SRI Ventures Vice President Norman Winarsky, PhD said, “It is gratifying to see SRI’s technology develop into products that meet important market needs. Lightscape, the latest success in SRI’s series of spinoff ventures, is built from a strong legacy of lighting innovations that include the first color TV phosphors.”
Linehan added, “We look forward to working with SRI International and Wisepower again as the occasion arises.”
Phosphors are used in LED lighting applications where color quality is a key performance attribute, such as in backlights for LCD displays and in residential, workplace and retail illumination. They enable the LED to create a wide spectrum of white light, with the color tuned for the desired application. Linehan says the ongoing development of phosphor compositions is particularly important as applications become more sophisticated and consumers’ expectations for color quality increase.
In October of 2011, Dow announced the formation of a new LED Technologies business segment to capture current and future demand for LEDs in the solid-state lighting market. In addition to the newly added phosphor materials, Dow’s portfolio includes metalorganic CVD precursors, which are used to make the active light-emitting areas in LEDs, as well as photoresists, related ancillaries for lithographic processing, metallization processes for electroplating, and pads and slurries for CMP – all of which are used to manufacture LEDs.
“The novel phosphor compositions developed by Lightscape Materials enable improved quality, reliability and output color of LED light-based systems,” said Leo Linehan, global general manager for Dow Electronic Materials’ Growth Technologies business. “We look forward to helping customers incorporate these advanced phosphors into their processes, while providing the local service, support and supply they have come to expect from Dow.” Linehan added, “We are equally pleased to have the expertise of Lightscape co-founders Gerard Frederickson and Yongchi Tian as part of our LED Technologies team.”
Wisepower CEO Gi-Ho Park said, “Dow Chemical was the ideal acquirer for Lightscape Materials. Dow’s investments in LED-related materials and their global marketing reach was a factor in our decision to choose Dow,” said Park. “Lightscape is a unique phosphor player capable of delivering novel phosphors crucial to high CRI LED packages.”
SRI Ventures Vice President Norman Winarsky, PhD said, “It is gratifying to see SRI’s technology develop into products that meet important market needs. Lightscape, the latest success in SRI’s series of spinoff ventures, is built from a strong legacy of lighting innovations that include the first color TV phosphors.”
Linehan added, “We look forward to working with SRI International and Wisepower again as the occasion arises.”
Phosphors are used in LED lighting applications where color quality is a key performance attribute, such as in backlights for LCD displays and in residential, workplace and retail illumination. They enable the LED to create a wide spectrum of white light, with the color tuned for the desired application. Linehan says the ongoing development of phosphor compositions is particularly important as applications become more sophisticated and consumers’ expectations for color quality increase.
In October of 2011, Dow announced the formation of a new LED Technologies business segment to capture current and future demand for LEDs in the solid-state lighting market. In addition to the newly added phosphor materials, Dow’s portfolio includes metalorganic CVD precursors, which are used to make the active light-emitting areas in LEDs, as well as photoresists, related ancillaries for lithographic processing, metallization processes for electroplating, and pads and slurries for CMP – all of which are used to manufacture LEDs.
2012年5月15日 星期二
Cold Temperature Compatible LED Lighting At Agro-jal Farms’ New Cold Storage Facility
Noribachi, a leading smart energy LED and solar lighting company, recently saw its ultra-efficient, cold temperature compatible LED fixtures successfully installed by Mark Pereira of C.I.M. Electric at Agro-Jal Farms’ new state-of-the-art cold storage warehouse.
Agro-Jal, one of the largest farming and cooling operations in California’s Central Coast region, has consistently been ahead of the curve with energy efficiency and cutting edge cooling technology – enabling the distinction of being the exclusive berry provider for the Kentucky Derby for many years. Agro-Jal’s cold storage facilities service not only their own produce, but aid many other regional farms in cooling and processing their products.
Agro-Jal’s new state-of-the-art cooler takes advantage of the latest technologies, including ammonia-cooled wind tunnels, an ice packing machine originally conceived to make ice for zoo penguins to eat, and the new Noribachi LED fixtures. Combined, these save the facility significant amounts on monthly cooling and lighting energy costs.
Noribachi’s exclusive HIGHBAY.M fixtures deliver an astounding bright, natural white light that allows fruit and vegetable inspectors to determine ripeness without taking a trip outside, a serious inconvenience that the previous HID lighting had necessitated with its yellow tinge. Noribachi LED lighting is also completely unaffected by the freezing temperature of the 34F environment, whereas traditional lighting suffers serious lifetime shortages and turn-on delays.
The Noribachi HIGHBAY.M fixtures provide so much clean light that in one room Agro-Jal Director Eric Gamble was able to scale back from 25 fluorescent fixtures to only 7 LED fixtures while achieving superior light output and quality. This not only made the Noribachi solution as cost competitive as fluorescents, but yielded the further benefit of keeping the toxic fluorescent bulbs away from food products.
With FDA regulations already tightening around the use of fluorescents near consumables, Gamble notes, “It’s only a matter of time before the FDA says we can’t have fluorescents anywhere close to food due to their mercury content. I’m staying ahead of the game by installing LEDs now. Clearly LEDs are the future of food safe lighting. It is an obvious choice.”
Most of the LED fixtures at Agro-Jal are also equipped with motion sensing on/off technology, further reducing energy use. “It’s an incredible value for light output versus wattage,” says Mark Pereira of C.I.M. Electric, contracted to complete the installation.
With the spring harvest just around the corner at the time of installation, it was imperative for Agro-Jal to finish their new cold warehouse quickly, a task that the Noribachi LED fixtures were more than up to. “The ease of installation was an 8 out of 10, and I was very impressed by the quality of the fixture itself– it’s really well put together,” notes Pereira.
Agro-Jal, one of the largest farming and cooling operations in California’s Central Coast region, has consistently been ahead of the curve with energy efficiency and cutting edge cooling technology – enabling the distinction of being the exclusive berry provider for the Kentucky Derby for many years. Agro-Jal’s cold storage facilities service not only their own produce, but aid many other regional farms in cooling and processing their products.
Agro-Jal’s new state-of-the-art cooler takes advantage of the latest technologies, including ammonia-cooled wind tunnels, an ice packing machine originally conceived to make ice for zoo penguins to eat, and the new Noribachi LED fixtures. Combined, these save the facility significant amounts on monthly cooling and lighting energy costs.
Noribachi’s exclusive HIGHBAY.M fixtures deliver an astounding bright, natural white light that allows fruit and vegetable inspectors to determine ripeness without taking a trip outside, a serious inconvenience that the previous HID lighting had necessitated with its yellow tinge. Noribachi LED lighting is also completely unaffected by the freezing temperature of the 34F environment, whereas traditional lighting suffers serious lifetime shortages and turn-on delays.
The Noribachi HIGHBAY.M fixtures provide so much clean light that in one room Agro-Jal Director Eric Gamble was able to scale back from 25 fluorescent fixtures to only 7 LED fixtures while achieving superior light output and quality. This not only made the Noribachi solution as cost competitive as fluorescents, but yielded the further benefit of keeping the toxic fluorescent bulbs away from food products.
With FDA regulations already tightening around the use of fluorescents near consumables, Gamble notes, “It’s only a matter of time before the FDA says we can’t have fluorescents anywhere close to food due to their mercury content. I’m staying ahead of the game by installing LEDs now. Clearly LEDs are the future of food safe lighting. It is an obvious choice.”
Most of the LED fixtures at Agro-Jal are also equipped with motion sensing on/off technology, further reducing energy use. “It’s an incredible value for light output versus wattage,” says Mark Pereira of C.I.M. Electric, contracted to complete the installation.
With the spring harvest just around the corner at the time of installation, it was imperative for Agro-Jal to finish their new cold warehouse quickly, a task that the Noribachi LED fixtures were more than up to. “The ease of installation was an 8 out of 10, and I was very impressed by the quality of the fixture itself– it’s really well put together,” notes Pereira.
2012年5月14日 星期一
Duke Energy adds neighborhood energy efficiency program in South Carolina
Last fall we wrote about Progress Energy's successful implementation of its Neighborhood Energy Saver program. We are happy to announce that this program has already inspired change in our region: as of last week, Duke Energy South Carolina will be joining the growing group of utilities offering a low-income neighborhood implementation program.
On April 16, Duke Energy submitted their proposed Residential Neighborhood Program to the South Carolina Public Service Commission for approval. Shortly after, SACE also submitted comments, evaluating and supporting this effort. And on May 9 – less than a month after the application was submitted – the Commission approved the program and gave Duke the green light for implementation!
Up until now, Duke Energy had few offers targeted specifically at low-income customers in South Carolina. The only options targeted at low-income customers were offered through the Office of Economic Opportunity, which administered the state's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Weatherization Assistance Program.
According to Duke Energy's application, the Residential Neighborhood Program will help customers in income-qualified neighborhoods reduce energy consumption by performing energy assessments and subsequently installing, at no charge to the customer, the energy savings measures identified in the evaluation.
Duke Energy anticipates that installing these measures will cut participants' energy use by approximately 950 kilowatt hours (kWh) a year, saving participants about $100 annually. Right now, the Company is predicting that it will reach about 2,400 customers a year. If the program runs for the full four years the Commission approved, then Duke has the potential to reach 9,600 South Carolina residents!
This is not just good news for low-income customers; it's good news for all customers of Duke Energy Carolinas. The Residential Neighborhood Program will cost-effectively reduce Duke Energy's electric demand, at far less cost than new generation resources. The Company forecasts that, with this decrease in demand occurring over the next four years, the program will cost $2.5 million but will save all customers $3.5 million.
SACE congratulates Duke Energy for adding this valuable program option to their portfolio of energy efficiency programs! This is a great start, and there are some potential ways that the Company can make the program even better. For instance, the Company could target all qualified neighborhoods, going beyond their estimated goal of 9,600 customers. We also recommended in our comments, and the South Carolina Commission agreed, that it is important to try and expand the impact of the program by collaborating with other low-income efficiency implementers in South Carolina. It would be great if Duke Energy could work with community action agencies to ensure that homes are safe, and additional, more advanced efficiency measures can be installed in these homes.
On April 16, Duke Energy submitted their proposed Residential Neighborhood Program to the South Carolina Public Service Commission for approval. Shortly after, SACE also submitted comments, evaluating and supporting this effort. And on May 9 – less than a month after the application was submitted – the Commission approved the program and gave Duke the green light for implementation!
Up until now, Duke Energy had few offers targeted specifically at low-income customers in South Carolina. The only options targeted at low-income customers were offered through the Office of Economic Opportunity, which administered the state's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Weatherization Assistance Program.
According to Duke Energy's application, the Residential Neighborhood Program will help customers in income-qualified neighborhoods reduce energy consumption by performing energy assessments and subsequently installing, at no charge to the customer, the energy savings measures identified in the evaluation.
Duke Energy anticipates that installing these measures will cut participants' energy use by approximately 950 kilowatt hours (kWh) a year, saving participants about $100 annually. Right now, the Company is predicting that it will reach about 2,400 customers a year. If the program runs for the full four years the Commission approved, then Duke has the potential to reach 9,600 South Carolina residents!
This is not just good news for low-income customers; it's good news for all customers of Duke Energy Carolinas. The Residential Neighborhood Program will cost-effectively reduce Duke Energy's electric demand, at far less cost than new generation resources. The Company forecasts that, with this decrease in demand occurring over the next four years, the program will cost $2.5 million but will save all customers $3.5 million.
SACE congratulates Duke Energy for adding this valuable program option to their portfolio of energy efficiency programs! This is a great start, and there are some potential ways that the Company can make the program even better. For instance, the Company could target all qualified neighborhoods, going beyond their estimated goal of 9,600 customers. We also recommended in our comments, and the South Carolina Commission agreed, that it is important to try and expand the impact of the program by collaborating with other low-income efficiency implementers in South Carolina. It would be great if Duke Energy could work with community action agencies to ensure that homes are safe, and additional, more advanced efficiency measures can be installed in these homes.
2012年5月13日 星期日
Makers of printed circuit board products going into new markets in search of growth
Companies which produce printed circuit board (PCB) products in the country are expanding into new markets, as certain segments of the consumer electronics market have become matured and volatile, while others are adopting new business to tap into niche markets.
GUH Holdings Bhd and Qdos Flexcircuits Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Suiwah Corp Bhd, are making strategic moves to tap into new higher growth markets.
To enhance its competitive edge, Kontron Design Manufacturing Services (KDMS) has changed its electronic manufacturing service (EMS) business model to focus on design and research and development work for printed circuit assembled boards and embedded computer technologies, following the sale of its assets at its plant in Seberang Prai to Plexus Manufacturing Sdn Bhd early this year.
Embedded computers are electronic brains used in varied system and equipment to provide intelligence.
KDMS is changing its name to Kontron Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd before the year ends to better reflect the nature of the new business.
GUH, for example, is tapping into the market of new power-saving household appliances and also the light-emitting diode (LED) lighting segment with their double-sided and multi-layered PCB products.
“We are increasing the monthly production of double-sided and multi-layered PCBs to 70,000 sq m in 2012 at our plants in Penang and Suzhou, compared to 55,000 sq m per month a year ago,” GUH managing director Datuk Kenneth H'ng said.
“These will serve the branded white goods segment such as air-conditioners, refrigerators, and washers, and also the LED commercial lighting market. We are seeing orders from customers in AP coming now for the second and third quarter. We are (investing) RM18mil this year to produce the double-sided and multi-layered PCBs.”
The reason for GUH enlarging its white goods business segment is because of the slower growth in the LCD/LED television market.
“In the first quarter 2012, we expect slower sales for the PCB business, due to slower sales of LCD/LED-backlit televisions worldwide,” H'ng said.
GUH's high-end PCBs, which are largely used in branded LCD and LED-backlit televisions, generate about 40% of the group's revenue.
The sale of LED lighting systems is also expected to rise rapidly over the next 10 years, accelerating sharply after 2015, according to Colorado-based Pike Research, a research house which specialises in clean technology industry.
“The unit shipments, including lamps and luminaires, will rise from 66 million in 2011 to 542 million in 2021, an increase of more than 700%.
“Policy makers in Asia-Pacific believe that improvements to buildings' lighting can offer the most visible and easiest to achieve energy efficiency gains”.
“That will translate into cumulative revenues of US$11bil from 2011 through 2021 for LED lighting in Asia Pacific,” the report said.
GUH Holdings Bhd and Qdos Flexcircuits Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Suiwah Corp Bhd, are making strategic moves to tap into new higher growth markets.
To enhance its competitive edge, Kontron Design Manufacturing Services (KDMS) has changed its electronic manufacturing service (EMS) business model to focus on design and research and development work for printed circuit assembled boards and embedded computer technologies, following the sale of its assets at its plant in Seberang Prai to Plexus Manufacturing Sdn Bhd early this year.
Embedded computers are electronic brains used in varied system and equipment to provide intelligence.
KDMS is changing its name to Kontron Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd before the year ends to better reflect the nature of the new business.
GUH, for example, is tapping into the market of new power-saving household appliances and also the light-emitting diode (LED) lighting segment with their double-sided and multi-layered PCB products.
“We are increasing the monthly production of double-sided and multi-layered PCBs to 70,000 sq m in 2012 at our plants in Penang and Suzhou, compared to 55,000 sq m per month a year ago,” GUH managing director Datuk Kenneth H'ng said.
“These will serve the branded white goods segment such as air-conditioners, refrigerators, and washers, and also the LED commercial lighting market. We are seeing orders from customers in AP coming now for the second and third quarter. We are (investing) RM18mil this year to produce the double-sided and multi-layered PCBs.”
The reason for GUH enlarging its white goods business segment is because of the slower growth in the LCD/LED television market.
“In the first quarter 2012, we expect slower sales for the PCB business, due to slower sales of LCD/LED-backlit televisions worldwide,” H'ng said.
GUH's high-end PCBs, which are largely used in branded LCD and LED-backlit televisions, generate about 40% of the group's revenue.
The sale of LED lighting systems is also expected to rise rapidly over the next 10 years, accelerating sharply after 2015, according to Colorado-based Pike Research, a research house which specialises in clean technology industry.
“The unit shipments, including lamps and luminaires, will rise from 66 million in 2011 to 542 million in 2021, an increase of more than 700%.
“Policy makers in Asia-Pacific believe that improvements to buildings' lighting can offer the most visible and easiest to achieve energy efficiency gains”.
“That will translate into cumulative revenues of US$11bil from 2011 through 2021 for LED lighting in Asia Pacific,” the report said.
2012年5月10日 星期四
Airport weather station up and running
As storm clouds rolled in during their meeting Monday evening, Cameron City Council members learned the airport’s new AWOS system is up and running, with FAA approval of the licensing and broadcasting frequency.
The All Weather Observation System (AWOS) puts Cameron on the map where pilots of light aircraft are concerned, providing current temperature, wind speed, and rain data as well as warnings about fog density and thunderstorms.
For flight planning, pilots can access current weather reports through operator terminals, VHF frequency broadcasts, Navigational Aid Systems or by telephone. Previously, pilots relied on data from Hearne and Caldwell.
The new weather station is just one of a package of improvements recently completed at Cameron Municipal Airpark, including the new pilots’ lounge where the AWOS terminal is housed. Plans are approved for adding sewer service to the terminal building as part of ongoing water system improvements.
The city now has jet fuel available to local and visiting pilots, along with the 100 low lead fuel already provided. A credit card system was added to make both fuels available to all pilots.
Tow said the airport is considered a general aviation field, which means it can accommodate single- to dual-engine planes. The 3,200-foot long and 50-foot wide asphalt runway and tarmac are limited to accommodating aircraft weighing 14,000 pounds. The runway was resurfaced several years ago and the tarmac was replaced.
The city receives $150,000 a year from the Texas Department of Transportation for improvements to the runway, lighting, windsock lighting and tarmac. With improvements in those areas already made, the city has been accumulating those funds, Tow said. ‘The fourth year they make you return funds you don’t use,” he said, adding the city is seeking permission from TxDOT to use those for those funds to add hanger space.
City officials have learned the project is up for consideration for the next round of funding at the beginning of the new fiscal year and work is under way to have the hangar project “shovel ready” in time for the next round of project presentations, Tow said. The council approved a resolution related to the project.
On another economic development related topic, the council heard from Milam County Judge Dave Barkemeyer, who outlined the tax phase-in, or abatement, program commissioners approved April 23, The program offers tax incentives to new operations that invest, open new facilities and add jobs in the county. He said he is visiting and encouraging all the city councils in the county to consider adopting a common plan to streamline recruitment efforts.
Also on Monday night, the council heard from a group of residents who use the 12th Street Park for adult softball games. They asked the city to restore some damaged lighting at the park to enable games to continue in the evenings after dark. The council instructed Tow to investigate what would be needed to increase the lighting and/or repair existing street lighting in the area and report back to the council.
The All Weather Observation System (AWOS) puts Cameron on the map where pilots of light aircraft are concerned, providing current temperature, wind speed, and rain data as well as warnings about fog density and thunderstorms.
For flight planning, pilots can access current weather reports through operator terminals, VHF frequency broadcasts, Navigational Aid Systems or by telephone. Previously, pilots relied on data from Hearne and Caldwell.
The new weather station is just one of a package of improvements recently completed at Cameron Municipal Airpark, including the new pilots’ lounge where the AWOS terminal is housed. Plans are approved for adding sewer service to the terminal building as part of ongoing water system improvements.
The city now has jet fuel available to local and visiting pilots, along with the 100 low lead fuel already provided. A credit card system was added to make both fuels available to all pilots.
Tow said the airport is considered a general aviation field, which means it can accommodate single- to dual-engine planes. The 3,200-foot long and 50-foot wide asphalt runway and tarmac are limited to accommodating aircraft weighing 14,000 pounds. The runway was resurfaced several years ago and the tarmac was replaced.
The city receives $150,000 a year from the Texas Department of Transportation for improvements to the runway, lighting, windsock lighting and tarmac. With improvements in those areas already made, the city has been accumulating those funds, Tow said. ‘The fourth year they make you return funds you don’t use,” he said, adding the city is seeking permission from TxDOT to use those for those funds to add hanger space.
City officials have learned the project is up for consideration for the next round of funding at the beginning of the new fiscal year and work is under way to have the hangar project “shovel ready” in time for the next round of project presentations, Tow said. The council approved a resolution related to the project.
On another economic development related topic, the council heard from Milam County Judge Dave Barkemeyer, who outlined the tax phase-in, or abatement, program commissioners approved April 23, The program offers tax incentives to new operations that invest, open new facilities and add jobs in the county. He said he is visiting and encouraging all the city councils in the county to consider adopting a common plan to streamline recruitment efforts.
Also on Monday night, the council heard from a group of residents who use the 12th Street Park for adult softball games. They asked the city to restore some damaged lighting at the park to enable games to continue in the evenings after dark. The council instructed Tow to investigate what would be needed to increase the lighting and/or repair existing street lighting in the area and report back to the council.
2012年5月9日 星期三
Marvell Showcases Breakthrough LED Lighting Solutions for Residential and Commercial Deployments
Based on its advanced LED driver integrated circuits (ICs), microcontrollers and integrated control software technology, Marvell's total system solutions allow lighting original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs) to quickly build high-performance and affordable LED lighting products. These reference designs are available for OEMs to customize and implement into their own product designs and are also available as finished products from multiple ODMs worldwide.
"Marvell's smart lighting solutions are designed to accelerate the deployment of superior quality LED lighting and smart lighting controls in mainstream residential and commercial lighting applications," said Kishore Manghnani, vice president of Green Technology Products Group at Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. "The availability of these reference designs from Marvell and finished solutions from third party companies will further accelerate the adoption of these advanced LED technologies by the mass market worldwide."
In-suite demonstrations of Marvell's latest LED driver electronics and lighting control solutions will highlight solutions optimized to address the residential and commercial lighting markets. Specifically, Marvell will showcase:
Several reference designs for retrofit LED lamps based on the new Marvell 88EM8183 deep dimming single stage AC/DC TRIAC LED driver integrated circuit (IC), which achieve superior dimming performance and compatibility using the lowest component count in the industry.
External LED driver reference designs, including DALI and Zigbee wireless solutions, developed for commercial lighting applications.
Residential Lighting: Marvell's advanced driver ICs and reference designs offer the industry's best dimming capability for a wide variety of retrofit LED lamps, such as A19, PAR, BR, GU10 and Candle.
Marvell's new 88EM8183 driver IC offers OEMs and ODMs a superior compatible dimming solution as compared to a majority of dimmers currently on the market, and also excellent light quality, intended to decrease consumer dissatisfaction and returns. The reference designs include isolated and non-isolated versions, all with the lowest component count and smallest form factor available in the industry.
"After comparing various LED driver ICs on the market, we chose Marvell's 88EM8183 LED driver IC for our new generation dimmable retrofit lamps because it offers the best dimming performance and compatibility at the lowest component count," said George Xu, general manager of Leedarson Lighting. "Combined with Leedarson's large scale manufacturing capability and operational excellence, the Marvell 88EM8183 solution allows us to offer cost effective, reliable and best dimming retrofit LED lamp products to lighting OEMs worldwide."
"Marvell's smart lighting solutions are designed to accelerate the deployment of superior quality LED lighting and smart lighting controls in mainstream residential and commercial lighting applications," said Kishore Manghnani, vice president of Green Technology Products Group at Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. "The availability of these reference designs from Marvell and finished solutions from third party companies will further accelerate the adoption of these advanced LED technologies by the mass market worldwide."
In-suite demonstrations of Marvell's latest LED driver electronics and lighting control solutions will highlight solutions optimized to address the residential and commercial lighting markets. Specifically, Marvell will showcase:
Several reference designs for retrofit LED lamps based on the new Marvell 88EM8183 deep dimming single stage AC/DC TRIAC LED driver integrated circuit (IC), which achieve superior dimming performance and compatibility using the lowest component count in the industry.
External LED driver reference designs, including DALI and Zigbee wireless solutions, developed for commercial lighting applications.
Residential Lighting: Marvell's advanced driver ICs and reference designs offer the industry's best dimming capability for a wide variety of retrofit LED lamps, such as A19, PAR, BR, GU10 and Candle.
Marvell's new 88EM8183 driver IC offers OEMs and ODMs a superior compatible dimming solution as compared to a majority of dimmers currently on the market, and also excellent light quality, intended to decrease consumer dissatisfaction and returns. The reference designs include isolated and non-isolated versions, all with the lowest component count and smallest form factor available in the industry.
"After comparing various LED driver ICs on the market, we chose Marvell's 88EM8183 LED driver IC for our new generation dimmable retrofit lamps because it offers the best dimming performance and compatibility at the lowest component count," said George Xu, general manager of Leedarson Lighting. "Combined with Leedarson's large scale manufacturing capability and operational excellence, the Marvell 88EM8183 solution allows us to offer cost effective, reliable and best dimming retrofit LED lamp products to lighting OEMs worldwide."
2012年5月8日 星期二
Chemists followed their noses
Following a lead from some research done at the University of North Carolina, the researchers decided to see if treating the quantum dots with metal salts would have a brightening effect. They noticed that some of the salts seemed to produce a small -- 10 to 20 percent -- but noticeable improvement.
"They were acetate salts and they smelled a bit like acetic acid," said McBride. "We knew that acetic acid binds to the quantum dots so we decided to give it a try."
The decision to follow their nose proved to be fortunate. The acetic acid treatment bumped up the quantum dots fluorescent efficiency from eight percent to 20 percent!
Acetic acid is a member of the carbocyclic acid family. So the researchers tried the other members in the family. They found that the simplest and most acidic member -- formic acid, the chemical that ants use to mark their paths -- worked the best, pushing the efficiency as high as 45 percent.
The brightness boost had an unexpected side effect. It shifted the peak of the color spectrum of the quantum dots slightly into the blue. This is ironic because the major complaint of white-light LEDs is that the light they produce has an unpleasant blue tint. However, the researchers maintain that they know how to correct the color-balance of the boosted light.
The researchers' next step is to test different methods for encapsulating the enhanced quantum dots.
Other contributors to the study include graduate students Teresa E. Rosson, Sarah M. Claiborne and undergraduate research student Benjamin Stratton, who is now at Columbia University.
Just as HDTV provided viewers with a new television experience, LED lighting provides an enhanced lighting experience. Consumers have complained that the light emitted by LEDs is too harsh, however, there are several techniques manufacturers and consumers can employ improve light quality. The light from LEDs can be classified as either cool or warm, and these color temperatures can be adjusted and mixed based on personal preferences. LEDs are available in different colors, and color mixing technology can create spectacular mood lighting and other special effects. With integrated wireless control, consumers can enjoy a connected lifestyle and use mobile apps to command their lighting systems to turn on and off, or dim to an ambient setting as well as control temperature and color mixing.
LEDs are categorized as solid-state lighting – which means they use semiconductor technology. The LED light is a semiconductor chip that requires another chip, called an LED driver, to supply stable power to LEDs, improve electrical efficiency and regulate performance. LED driver electronics play a significant role in helping manufacturers) develop products with the features that will accelerate the mass adoption of LED lighting.
"They were acetate salts and they smelled a bit like acetic acid," said McBride. "We knew that acetic acid binds to the quantum dots so we decided to give it a try."
The decision to follow their nose proved to be fortunate. The acetic acid treatment bumped up the quantum dots fluorescent efficiency from eight percent to 20 percent!
Acetic acid is a member of the carbocyclic acid family. So the researchers tried the other members in the family. They found that the simplest and most acidic member -- formic acid, the chemical that ants use to mark their paths -- worked the best, pushing the efficiency as high as 45 percent.
The brightness boost had an unexpected side effect. It shifted the peak of the color spectrum of the quantum dots slightly into the blue. This is ironic because the major complaint of white-light LEDs is that the light they produce has an unpleasant blue tint. However, the researchers maintain that they know how to correct the color-balance of the boosted light.
The researchers' next step is to test different methods for encapsulating the enhanced quantum dots.
Other contributors to the study include graduate students Teresa E. Rosson, Sarah M. Claiborne and undergraduate research student Benjamin Stratton, who is now at Columbia University.
Just as HDTV provided viewers with a new television experience, LED lighting provides an enhanced lighting experience. Consumers have complained that the light emitted by LEDs is too harsh, however, there are several techniques manufacturers and consumers can employ improve light quality. The light from LEDs can be classified as either cool or warm, and these color temperatures can be adjusted and mixed based on personal preferences. LEDs are available in different colors, and color mixing technology can create spectacular mood lighting and other special effects. With integrated wireless control, consumers can enjoy a connected lifestyle and use mobile apps to command their lighting systems to turn on and off, or dim to an ambient setting as well as control temperature and color mixing.
LEDs are categorized as solid-state lighting – which means they use semiconductor technology. The LED light is a semiconductor chip that requires another chip, called an LED driver, to supply stable power to LEDs, improve electrical efficiency and regulate performance. LED driver electronics play a significant role in helping manufacturers) develop products with the features that will accelerate the mass adoption of LED lighting.
2012年5月7日 星期一
“Let There Be Light” (Emitting Diodes)!
Under a bright noon sun, Fernando Casanova tricked a brand-new street light into turning on—and offering a new vision for nighttime safety in Newhallville.
Casanova, an electrician with Pasquariello Electric, did the deed for a crowd gathered at the corner of Lilac and Newhall streets Monday.
They gathered on the corner to try to stop trouble, not to make trouble. The group of ministers and city government workers united to bring 11 new LED (light-emitting diode) streetlights to various blocks of Lilac in order to better illuminate the night and, they hope, reduce crime in the process. They dubbed their effort “Project Lighten Up.”
“Let there be light!” Alan Kendrick of Church of the Redeemer proclaimed as Casanova put electrical tape over a sensor that otherwise will turn on the corner streetlight every night once it gets dark.
Project Lighten Up grew out of a grassroots Newhallville organizing campaign spearheaded by Minister Donald Morris and called Promise Land. (Read about that here.) The campaign went door to door to ask people their priorities for improving the neighborhood. Better-lit streets emerged as one of nine top goals.
The city agreed to install the 11 lights on Lilac in response. They cost close to $6,000 in total, according to Seb Asadourian of the city engineer’s office. He said other LED streetlights have gone up on Ashmun Street and at State and Chapel. The new LED lights cost less and last longer than the traditional “high-pressure sodium” lights they replace. They consume about half as much electricity, according to Asadourian. Also, they emit a brighter, whiter light; that enables people to see more clearly and better notice colors (of fleeing vehicles, for instance) than they can in the yellowish glow of the old lights.
That deters criminals from committing crimes in the first place and better protects officers who arrive at crime scenes, said top neighborhood cop Lt. Kenny Howell.
“Lilac happened to be on the of the darkest streets in the city,” Kendrick said. He said the group originally thought it had to raise money for the streetlights. Now that the city has agreed to foot the bill, the group plans to raise money to place “strategic post lighting on people’s private property.”
Casanova, an electrician with Pasquariello Electric, did the deed for a crowd gathered at the corner of Lilac and Newhall streets Monday.
They gathered on the corner to try to stop trouble, not to make trouble. The group of ministers and city government workers united to bring 11 new LED (light-emitting diode) streetlights to various blocks of Lilac in order to better illuminate the night and, they hope, reduce crime in the process. They dubbed their effort “Project Lighten Up.”
“Let there be light!” Alan Kendrick of Church of the Redeemer proclaimed as Casanova put electrical tape over a sensor that otherwise will turn on the corner streetlight every night once it gets dark.
Project Lighten Up grew out of a grassroots Newhallville organizing campaign spearheaded by Minister Donald Morris and called Promise Land. (Read about that here.) The campaign went door to door to ask people their priorities for improving the neighborhood. Better-lit streets emerged as one of nine top goals.
The city agreed to install the 11 lights on Lilac in response. They cost close to $6,000 in total, according to Seb Asadourian of the city engineer’s office. He said other LED streetlights have gone up on Ashmun Street and at State and Chapel. The new LED lights cost less and last longer than the traditional “high-pressure sodium” lights they replace. They consume about half as much electricity, according to Asadourian. Also, they emit a brighter, whiter light; that enables people to see more clearly and better notice colors (of fleeing vehicles, for instance) than they can in the yellowish glow of the old lights.
That deters criminals from committing crimes in the first place and better protects officers who arrive at crime scenes, said top neighborhood cop Lt. Kenny Howell.
“Lilac happened to be on the of the darkest streets in the city,” Kendrick said. He said the group originally thought it had to raise money for the streetlights. Now that the city has agreed to foot the bill, the group plans to raise money to place “strategic post lighting on people’s private property.”
2012年5月6日 星期日
Creative ceramic collection captivates capital residents
Danish Yazdani plays with fire and the results are dazzling. Her ceramics collections went on display at the Earth and Fire Studio Saturday evening where guests kept arriving even after the two-day display was announced closed.
Titled ‘Pottery for the Soul’, the display was spread in three rooms and figurines, bowls, lamps, tiles and wall art sat glowing under yellow spot lights.
Danish Yazdani graduated from the Hunerkada College of Arts in 1997. Since then she has been trained under some of the legendary names in the world of ceramic arts including American ceramist Paul Soldner among others.
There are probably as many variations in firing techniques as there are potters and that makes every piece unique.
The thrill of discovery exists each time the cooled ashes are pushed aside. And Danish uses modern influences with ancient expressions. Her techniques include hand building, Raku firing and burnishing; with a special affinity for natural textures and earthen tones offset by contemporary contrasts.
“Raku firing is a specialised ancient Japanese style of designing pottery. It gives off a metallic effect after the clay is biscuit fired at a certain temperature until it becomes a fireball. It is then put into a metal bin with other materials that catch fire. The chemical reactions give the piece certain earthen as well as metallic effects,” Danish told her guests on the opening night.
The technique stood out from other forms of firing practices, of putting the clay in the kilns, making it into a piece and glazing it for colours to finish the work.
The unpredictable results of the particular technique drew her to experiment and work more for the impressive results. All the works were handmade and not thrown on the wheel.
Danish Yazdani is also trained in the skill of glaze making and has enhanced and introduced many of her own signature techniques into this field. Her mentor and teacher Paul Soldner, who introduced Raku firing in the US in the 1960’s continued to be her inspiration. The display will run till May 6.
Titled ‘Pottery for the Soul’, the display was spread in three rooms and figurines, bowls, lamps, tiles and wall art sat glowing under yellow spot lights.
Danish Yazdani graduated from the Hunerkada College of Arts in 1997. Since then she has been trained under some of the legendary names in the world of ceramic arts including American ceramist Paul Soldner among others.
There are probably as many variations in firing techniques as there are potters and that makes every piece unique.
The thrill of discovery exists each time the cooled ashes are pushed aside. And Danish uses modern influences with ancient expressions. Her techniques include hand building, Raku firing and burnishing; with a special affinity for natural textures and earthen tones offset by contemporary contrasts.
“Raku firing is a specialised ancient Japanese style of designing pottery. It gives off a metallic effect after the clay is biscuit fired at a certain temperature until it becomes a fireball. It is then put into a metal bin with other materials that catch fire. The chemical reactions give the piece certain earthen as well as metallic effects,” Danish told her guests on the opening night.
The technique stood out from other forms of firing practices, of putting the clay in the kilns, making it into a piece and glazing it for colours to finish the work.
The unpredictable results of the particular technique drew her to experiment and work more for the impressive results. All the works were handmade and not thrown on the wheel.
Danish Yazdani is also trained in the skill of glaze making and has enhanced and introduced many of her own signature techniques into this field. Her mentor and teacher Paul Soldner, who introduced Raku firing in the US in the 1960’s continued to be her inspiration. The display will run till May 6.
2012年5月3日 星期四
Staying with style at the Cypress Towers
Suggesting this notion are the steamer trunks and assorted leather luggage all over the living room and kitchen side. But the Bates Asia director for strategic planning is not packed up to leave. In fact, he is staying there at least during his bachelorhood.
The vintage travelling chests and their contemporaries are now serving as coffee tables, bar counters and curio to his self-styled home in Altiva, one of the three buildings of the DMCI Homes-built residential complex along C-5 Road, Taguig City. With a little touch of creativity, Carlo turned the antique trunks into stylish and useful stuffs inside his condo unit.
Completing his unique interior design are two black lampposts and black horizontal lines on the wall that give him the feel of motion and more space, plus the high chairs for the dining table and different shapes of mirrors hanging on another wall.
“It’s like the train station feel,” Carlo says, explaining the motif of the unit turned over to him in November 2011. “It’s a place where I can hang out before I move to my next stage in life.”
Carlo did not need to hire an interior designer to dress up his first owned home. His fond for old travelling luggage meets his modern lifestyle. He personally purchased the items and accessories in different antique shops and online stores and refurbished them by himself. He also brought an old couch from his mother’s house to complete his ideal abode.
The arrangement complements the Cypress Towers ’ features to create the perfect sanctum for Carlo. He loved the floor layout of his corner unit the first time he saw. The place is also near his office in Bonifacio Global City and the price for the unit is lesser than the smaller ones he checked near The Fort.
The architecture fits the solo occupant’s energy-saving nature.
“The pinwheel design of Cypress Towers allows for better circulation of sunlight, which I agree. It’s true,” says Carlo, who uses low-wattage LED lights for the lampposts and white paint for a portion of the living room walls to reflect light better.
Besides the natural light that allows for minimal use of electricity, the pinwheel configuration of each building allows optimum circulation of wind for natural ventilation.
The height of his room provides distance from the noise near the ground or lower floors while offering a good view. “It’s a hassle to wake up to noise from your neighbor like kids playing around, cars and all that,” he says.
With the balcony in his unit, he and his mom enjoyed watching the New Year’s Day’s fireworks from a high level for the first time.
Initially, Carlo was hesitant to try the amenities not knowing how these are maintained. He was later impressed after observing the diligence of the maintenance crew.
The vintage travelling chests and their contemporaries are now serving as coffee tables, bar counters and curio to his self-styled home in Altiva, one of the three buildings of the DMCI Homes-built residential complex along C-5 Road, Taguig City. With a little touch of creativity, Carlo turned the antique trunks into stylish and useful stuffs inside his condo unit.
Completing his unique interior design are two black lampposts and black horizontal lines on the wall that give him the feel of motion and more space, plus the high chairs for the dining table and different shapes of mirrors hanging on another wall.
“It’s like the train station feel,” Carlo says, explaining the motif of the unit turned over to him in November 2011. “It’s a place where I can hang out before I move to my next stage in life.”
Carlo did not need to hire an interior designer to dress up his first owned home. His fond for old travelling luggage meets his modern lifestyle. He personally purchased the items and accessories in different antique shops and online stores and refurbished them by himself. He also brought an old couch from his mother’s house to complete his ideal abode.
The arrangement complements the Cypress Towers ’ features to create the perfect sanctum for Carlo. He loved the floor layout of his corner unit the first time he saw. The place is also near his office in Bonifacio Global City and the price for the unit is lesser than the smaller ones he checked near The Fort.
The architecture fits the solo occupant’s energy-saving nature.
“The pinwheel design of Cypress Towers allows for better circulation of sunlight, which I agree. It’s true,” says Carlo, who uses low-wattage LED lights for the lampposts and white paint for a portion of the living room walls to reflect light better.
Besides the natural light that allows for minimal use of electricity, the pinwheel configuration of each building allows optimum circulation of wind for natural ventilation.
The height of his room provides distance from the noise near the ground or lower floors while offering a good view. “It’s a hassle to wake up to noise from your neighbor like kids playing around, cars and all that,” he says.
With the balcony in his unit, he and his mom enjoyed watching the New Year’s Day’s fireworks from a high level for the first time.
Initially, Carlo was hesitant to try the amenities not knowing how these are maintained. He was later impressed after observing the diligence of the maintenance crew.
2012年5月2日 星期三
1Gbps wireless network made with red and green laser pointers
Back in the olden days, when WiFi and Bluetooth were just a glimmer in the eye of IEEE, another short-range wireless communications technology ruled supreme: Infrared Data Association, or IrDA for short. IrDA was awful; early versions were only capable of kilobit-per-second speeds, and only over a distance of a few feet. Trying to get my laptop and mobile phone to link up via IrDA was, to date, one of the worst tech experiences I’ve ever had.
There’s a lot to be said for light-based communications, though. For a start, visible (and invisible) light has a frequency of between 400 and 800THz (800 and 375nm), which is unlicensed spectrum worldwide. Second, in cases where you really don’t want radio interference, such as hospitals, airplanes, and other sensitive environments, visible light communication (VLC), or free-space optical communication, is really rather desirable. Because of the prevalence of light sources (one in every room!) VLC could also be the basis for ubiquitous networking. Just last year, Harald Haas demonstrated an LED light bulb that could transmit HD video using VLC.
Now, I think for the first time ever, researchers at the National Taipei University of Technology in Taiwan have transmitted data using lasers — not high-powered, laboratory-dwelling lasers; handheld, AAA-battery laser pointers. The setup is rather simple: The engineers took a red and green laser pointer, wired in a 500Mbps data stream into each, and simply pointed them at photodiode receptors. On the receiving end, the signals are amplified and then multiplexed to create a 1Gbps data stream. The complete setup, according to New Scientist, cost just $600.
Yes, that’s a 1Gbps wireless network (around 100MB/sec, or about 10 times the speed of your 802.11n WiFi router), over distances of up to 25 meters, for $600. Not too shabby, especially when you consider that a commercial installation would probably cost a fraction of that. The bit error rate (BER) is also incredibly low: At 10 meters, just one bit per billion was erroneous; WiFi, by comparison, is fairly content with a BER of 1 in 100,000, or a packet error rate of 10%.
Will laser-based VLC actually find its way to market, then? There’s no getting around the fact that laser links are highly directional (even more so than the shoddy IrDA networks of yore), and atmospheric conditions will play a big part in the BER, and thus the actual data rate. With WiGig making its way to market, laser pointer VLC will probably never be seen by consumers. Still, for quick bursts of data between mobile devices, or wireless communications in hospitals, or simply as a fun hobby for amateur radio (?) operators, cheap, laser pointer VLC could be very useful indeed.
There’s a lot to be said for light-based communications, though. For a start, visible (and invisible) light has a frequency of between 400 and 800THz (800 and 375nm), which is unlicensed spectrum worldwide. Second, in cases where you really don’t want radio interference, such as hospitals, airplanes, and other sensitive environments, visible light communication (VLC), or free-space optical communication, is really rather desirable. Because of the prevalence of light sources (one in every room!) VLC could also be the basis for ubiquitous networking. Just last year, Harald Haas demonstrated an LED light bulb that could transmit HD video using VLC.
Now, I think for the first time ever, researchers at the National Taipei University of Technology in Taiwan have transmitted data using lasers — not high-powered, laboratory-dwelling lasers; handheld, AAA-battery laser pointers. The setup is rather simple: The engineers took a red and green laser pointer, wired in a 500Mbps data stream into each, and simply pointed them at photodiode receptors. On the receiving end, the signals are amplified and then multiplexed to create a 1Gbps data stream. The complete setup, according to New Scientist, cost just $600.
Yes, that’s a 1Gbps wireless network (around 100MB/sec, or about 10 times the speed of your 802.11n WiFi router), over distances of up to 25 meters, for $600. Not too shabby, especially when you consider that a commercial installation would probably cost a fraction of that. The bit error rate (BER) is also incredibly low: At 10 meters, just one bit per billion was erroneous; WiFi, by comparison, is fairly content with a BER of 1 in 100,000, or a packet error rate of 10%.
Will laser-based VLC actually find its way to market, then? There’s no getting around the fact that laser links are highly directional (even more so than the shoddy IrDA networks of yore), and atmospheric conditions will play a big part in the BER, and thus the actual data rate. With WiGig making its way to market, laser pointer VLC will probably never be seen by consumers. Still, for quick bursts of data between mobile devices, or wireless communications in hospitals, or simply as a fun hobby for amateur radio (?) operators, cheap, laser pointer VLC could be very useful indeed.
2012年5月1日 星期二
Walter Cordery: Far too many traffic lights on city streets
Some days it seems there are too many traffic lights in Nanaimo for the amount of traffic in the city.
I recently drove from the Nanaimo Daily News office on McCullough Road onto the Island Highway and headed toward Comox Road downtown. From Comox Road, I turned right and proceeded along Bowen Road until I reached the Island Highway again.
From there, another righthand turn led me back to Labieux and then to McCullough - a trip of just over 11 kilometres.
There were 21 traffic signals along the way in that short trip. And when the recently installed traffic lights at Terminal and Cypress roads are activated, there will be 22.
Frustrating anyone in a hurry is the fact the lights aren't synchronized.
In the past three years, two other traffic lights have popped up at Bowen Road and Buttertubs Drive.
Chris Winkel, Nanaimo's traffic and transportation engineering specialist, said synchronizing traffic signals is more difficult than it seems.
Both Winkel and Bob Prokopenko, the city's senior manager of engineering, said that installing the necessary infrastructure to synchronize traffic in Nanaimo would be expensive.
Prokopenko said the city is looking at alternatives to traffic lights and has set up a new roundabout at Boxwood Road and Dufferin Crescent to keep traffic moving.
According to the city's Downtown Design Guidelines: "A double-lane roundabout is designed for the intersection of Terminal Avenue and Nicol Street at the entrance to the proposed Port Place Plaza.
"Nicol Street would retain two lanes of traffic in each direction. In principle, this concept appears to support current traffic volumes."
The city is also considering a roundabout at the Wentworth Street, Cliff Street and Terminal Avenue intersections.
If engineers at the city believe the way to keep traffic moving along busy arterial roads is to install roundabouts, then bring them on. They aren't that difficult to figure out. People in Europe have been using them for decades.
Surely there must be a better way to handle traffic than to throw a traffic light up whenever traffic volumes seem to indicate the roads are getting too crowded.
Prokopenko said the way the city decides to locate traffic signals is based on a provincial system as well as local considerations.
That may be the case in New York, Toronto, London, Montreal or Paris where there is a viable underground transit system that people can use to get around quickly but it seems ridiculous for Nanaimo.
Stop-and-go driving forces commuters to use much more fuel. It also pumps more greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
If city council doesn't want to feel the wrath of local drivers by putting in roundabouts, they should fork over the money to synchronize traffic lights along the Island Highway and Bowen Road.
I recently drove from the Nanaimo Daily News office on McCullough Road onto the Island Highway and headed toward Comox Road downtown. From Comox Road, I turned right and proceeded along Bowen Road until I reached the Island Highway again.
From there, another righthand turn led me back to Labieux and then to McCullough - a trip of just over 11 kilometres.
There were 21 traffic signals along the way in that short trip. And when the recently installed traffic lights at Terminal and Cypress roads are activated, there will be 22.
Frustrating anyone in a hurry is the fact the lights aren't synchronized.
In the past three years, two other traffic lights have popped up at Bowen Road and Buttertubs Drive.
Chris Winkel, Nanaimo's traffic and transportation engineering specialist, said synchronizing traffic signals is more difficult than it seems.
Both Winkel and Bob Prokopenko, the city's senior manager of engineering, said that installing the necessary infrastructure to synchronize traffic in Nanaimo would be expensive.
Prokopenko said the city is looking at alternatives to traffic lights and has set up a new roundabout at Boxwood Road and Dufferin Crescent to keep traffic moving.
According to the city's Downtown Design Guidelines: "A double-lane roundabout is designed for the intersection of Terminal Avenue and Nicol Street at the entrance to the proposed Port Place Plaza.
"Nicol Street would retain two lanes of traffic in each direction. In principle, this concept appears to support current traffic volumes."
The city is also considering a roundabout at the Wentworth Street, Cliff Street and Terminal Avenue intersections.
If engineers at the city believe the way to keep traffic moving along busy arterial roads is to install roundabouts, then bring them on. They aren't that difficult to figure out. People in Europe have been using them for decades.
Surely there must be a better way to handle traffic than to throw a traffic light up whenever traffic volumes seem to indicate the roads are getting too crowded.
Prokopenko said the way the city decides to locate traffic signals is based on a provincial system as well as local considerations.
That may be the case in New York, Toronto, London, Montreal or Paris where there is a viable underground transit system that people can use to get around quickly but it seems ridiculous for Nanaimo.
Stop-and-go driving forces commuters to use much more fuel. It also pumps more greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
If city council doesn't want to feel the wrath of local drivers by putting in roundabouts, they should fork over the money to synchronize traffic lights along the Island Highway and Bowen Road.
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