STARS TO BE SEEN AGAIN – Article by Luca Mercalli
Oulx has completed the replacement of the public lights with a 57% energy saving that support the ecological balance and the common health.
Thanks to the contributions for energy efficiency of the Budget Law 2020, the replacement of the old public lamps with the new Led lighting fixtures were cost-free. Luca Mercalli explain the environemental advantages of this process.
“One of the most important municipal charges is the public lighting because of the large electricity consumption.And also it represents an important effect on the greenhouse gas emissions. Making more efficient the lighting systems permit to economize the environemental side and the energy bill . The Oulx Municipality has done well installing the new Led public lights. The power of 123 lights from 16 kW has been reduced at 7,6 kW keeping the lighting characteristics on the public areas , with the possibility to reduce the light output during the less crowded night hours, a sort of “virtual midnight”. In this way the electrical consumption of a year go from 66.436 to 28.831 kWh, with an energy saving of 37.604 kWh, quite about the 57 %.A good achievement, for the municipal coffers but also for the CO2 emissions – considering the emisssion factor national average of 298 gr of CO2 for kWh – pass from 20 tons to 8,6 tons. If we traduce the emissions of the old light as a person , before the replacement the lights emissions were as three persons , and after the changing as one person. In addition to the energetical and economical saving, the new Led Lights enhance the light chromatic characteristics curbing the dispersion toward the sky , reducing the light pollution . Actually there are always more evidences that an extra night lighting interfere on animal and insect life ,on the ecological equilibrium of our health and stops the astronomical observations. Once fulfilled all the requirements of traffic safety, the intention is not to affect the dark skies of our Alps , one of the few places in Europe where it is already possible to realize that stars still exist!”
