Biodynamic light
"Light Pollution"
Although we are no longer even aware of the existence of light pollution, it poses many health risks for us. Our bodies are naturally adjusted to a regular 24-hour (so-called circadian) cycle.
If we are exposed to excessive amounts of artificial light at night, our sleep is of poorer quality. As a result, the hormone melatonin, which is essential for mental and physical regeneration of the body, is not being produced. Similarly, light smog has a negative effect on all living organisms.
In addition to the intensity of light, the color of light also has a significant effect on living organisms. A cold blue light is natural for the daytime while a warm yellow-orange light characterized by the sunset or a blazing fire is natural for the evening. When we need to extend our active evening, we should use a blue light. But then the time comes to calm down and prepare for sleeping. And for that we need a soft yellow-orange light.
The light from public lighting usually penetrates through the windows into our apartments and although we do not realize it, it quite significantly influences the condition of our bodies. Our internal clocks are confused the by improper public lighting, we have problems falling asleep, and the melatonin production is disrupted.
This is subsequently reflected in our decreased productivity, immune system deficiencies, mental discomfort and thus basically a poorer overall quality of our lives. And we are not the only ones whose circadian cycles are being confused by inappropriate public lighting, neon signs or passing cars. The same is true for all animals that lose their time orientation and their natural reflexes. It also applies to plants and basically everything that is alive.
Municipalities and owners of various large premises that need to be kept illuminated at night are becoming gradually more aware of these connections.
However, for most operators of large lighting systems, the issue of direct costs for lighting operation is still the most sensitive issue.
In the Czech Republic, about one and a half million light points of public lighting are lit every evening, and experts estimate that up to a half of these lights still shine unnecessarily strongly or in the wrong direction. With efficient lighting and the use of sophisticated lighting technologies, almost 75 % of energy costs could be saved. In places where it is suitable to install solar lamps for public lighting, there are absolutely no costs for energy consumption.
Biodynamic solar lamps represent an ideal means of public lighting from both points of view, i.e. from the point of view of eliminating the unsuitable effect of artificial light on living organisms, as well as from the point of view of attaining zero electricity consumption.
The use of solar lamps is advantageous especially in places where the supply of electricity by an underground cable would be too expensive or even impossible. The biodynamic lighting technology with transitions from blue to orange light and the automatic regulation of lighting intensity according to the current traffic on the illuminated road is nowadays a standard function for high-quality solar lamps equipped with a sophisticated control unit.
Likewise, the lifespan of a high-quality solar lamp, including batteries, reaches approximately 25 years and thus does not differ from ordinary lamps and public lighting poles. The price of such a solar lamp, produced exclusively from high-quality components, is, of course, higher than the price of a conventional lamp. However, if the costs for the design and installation of the underground supply cable are deducted, the price for the complete installation of a light point using a high-quality solar lamp is approximately the same. And fundamentally, there are no further costs for the operation itself.
However, the above-mentioned description of the characteristics of solar lamps does not, of course, apply to the cheap imported solar lamps, the lifespan of which usually does not exceed the statutory minimum warranty period. The municipalities in the Czech Republic already have considerable experience in this direction, and the choice of solar lamps is based on guaranteed references, rather than on the initially attractive, noticeably low price.