Lead Performer: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – Blacksburg, VA
DOE Total Funding: $1,214,625
Project Term: September 1, 2017 – August 31, 2019
Funding Type: SSL R&D Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) (DE-FOA-0001613)
Project Objective
This project will attempt to measure the impact of lighting on the users of an outdoor lighting space. Users will include drivers on a roadway, pedestrians, and those living close to the lighted area at a minimum. Using a variety of correlated color temperatures (CCTs) in existing products, the recipient will establish street and roadway lighting scenarios on a closed test facility where lighting conditions can be modeled in a full-scale, naturalistic environment. Participants will experience the lighted environment as if they were experiencing any roadway or outdoor lighting installation. The project activities will include a driving experiment; a pedestrian experiment using the outdoor space; and a light trespass experiment in which participants experience the lighting in a simulated building. Measurements will be taken of the effects of different lighting types on melatonin in the blood of users of a lighting space at dosage levels appropriate to that space. The experiments will determine the effects of different lighting types on the melatonin levels of the participants. As different CCT light sources will be used, their differing spectral contents can be evaluated to determine the most appropriate light source for implementation in the outdoor environment.
Project Impact
The researchers will use the results to determine the effects of different lighting types on the melatonin levels of the participants. As different CCT light sources will be used, their differing spectral contents can be evaluated to determine the most appropriate light source for implementation in the outdoor environment. This project fills a critical technological need in the lighting industry by looking at the effect of lighting on human health. With the conflicting information regarding the health impacts of new light sources, this project has the potential to pave the way for critical progress in the conversion of outdoor lighting to SSL. The results are expected to be highly relevant to the needs of the industry and will allow for informed evidence-based decisions regarding light-source selection.
Contacts
DOE Technology Manager: James Brodrick, James.Brodrick@ee.doe.gov
Lead Performer: Ron Gibbons, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University