illumination itself on the environment are
profound, and evidence for serious disturbance to not only ecology but human
health continues to mount.
Most biological effects of light are
color-dependent; on average, the shorter
wavelengths tend to have stronger effects.
Blue light also scatters more in the atmosphere, carrying the impact of outdoor
lighting over greater distances.
The current development process of efficient, practical LEDs offers the ideal opportunity to create lighting with not only
high energy efficiency but also built-in
minimization of environmental and health
impact via control of spectral output. And,
especially in outdoor lighting, we should
take advantage of LEDs’ directional light
output (as opposed to the nondirectional
nature of traditional high-intensity discharge lamps) to create well-focused lumi-naires.
We have the opportunity to create a
truly well-lit nighttime environment rather
than emulating the glare-filled (and environmentally damaged) world that many of
us have become accustomed to in just the
past few decades. Environmental impact
beyond just energy consumption must be
included in all consideration of lighting
improvement.
LETTERS l
Hugh Coleman
Kelso, Wash.
at this point, we are going to need all of
the viable ones. It is encouraging to see a
few manufacturers settling down and actually dealing with reality. We have needed
that for years.
I enjoyed your concise item “From
Autos to Solar” (February 2009, Photonics
Spectra) and hope that my response will
give you some idea of the impact you
have made with it.
Funding connections
I enjoyed your Photonics Spectra article,
“Infrared Imaging Gives UK Dentists a
Better Look” (February 2009).
At the end, you said that the team developing the infrared imaging system for
dentistry “is looking for funding for commercialization, via company startup or
technology licensing to interested parties
around the world.”
Could you please put me in touch with
the person responsible for the team’s funding effort? I would like to investigate options that might be of interest to them here
in the US.
Marcel R. Singleton
The Value Engineering Alliance
Cambridge, Mass.
Drew Carhart
Illinois Coalition for Responsible Outdoor
Lighting
From autos to solar
The transportation industry realizes the
need to transition to a new energy source.
For years, few manufacturers looked at
what they were doing compared with what
was needed. Looking at solar a few years
ago, I figured that, if we covered the area
from Orange County, Calif., to the Mexican border with solar devices, this would
be a meaningful effort. If the device you
are building has a small output, then of
course you will need lots of them to make
an impact.
The products must be mass-produce-able and efficient. If you go to Google
and enter the name of Shmuel Ovadia,
managing director of SDE Energy Ltd.,
you will note that the current price of 1
MW is $900,000 for natural gas, $1.5 million for wind or coal, and $3 million for
solar.
Israel has been going green for 40
years; its focus in this area is well worth
noting. Few energy efforts get in each
other’s way, and this is fortunate because,
The Editor Responds:
I have forwarded your expression of interest to the business development manager.
The contact for anyone who wants to follow up on manufacturing solutions or investment in this venture is:
Simon Andrews
Business Development Manager
Institute of Photonics
University of Strathclyde
Wolfson Centre, 106 Rottenrow
Glasgow G4 0NW Scotland UK
Direct: + 44 141 548 4402
Reception: + 44 141 548 4120
Fax: + 44 41 552 1575
Web: www.photonics.ac.uk
E-mail: simon.andrews@strath.ac.uk
Christine Connolly
Contributing Editor
Correction
In the Fast Track section of the February
edition of Photonics Spectra (p. 29), we
incorrectly reported that OptoAlignment
had relocated to Charleston, N.C. In fact,
the company has relocated to Charlotte,
N.C. Also, the company’s centration and
alignment system is in the ultraprecision
category at 0.5 μm/1.02 arcsec TIR.
