Quote:
Originally Posted by Darth Wader
Also, motion sensors, much the same as the ones many of us have on our front porches, would be more than adequate and would significantly decrease the amount of power used.
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Hi Wade,
Alas, in our Sydney suburb and I suspect many other areas across the country,
the movement of nocturnal possums, who seem to use the power cables as a network of
tightropes to get from place to place, along with ground dwelling animals, such
as wallabies and the occasional stray cat, would probably keep them triggered "on" for
most of the night.
Hence the suggestion that in some locations, a wireless remote where you
need to press a button or a remote that you switch on, keep in your pocket and
which the street lights detect and switch on a few poles either side of you. In any case,
as we both know, the type of underlying technology to provide a workable
solution largely exists today.
Certainly better cut-offs and energy efficient lighting will undoubtedly be the next step.
Here in NSW, I noticed that all traffic lights were converted to using LED's in what
appeared to a relatively short time frame. Once the economics reaches the point that
suburban street lights are worth converting, it would be nice if the economics and
foresight was such that some type of intelligent controller also became part of the
retro-fit.
It is arguably contradictory that many Australians would take offense if someone
defaced an Australian flag. Yet collectively we seem so willing to completely
obliterate with light pollution the very stars of the Southern Cross on which that
flag's emblem is based.