As an educational institution, Questacon wanted to lead by example in adopting sustainable practices throughout its buildings. In addition to the H2O exhibition, Questacon has gone on to complete the Excite@Q gallery, which employs the Philips Selecon PL1s and also the Philips Selecon Accent Display luminaire.

Philips says that the PL1 is the first light source allows full control of the beam color composition regardless of intensity. According to Philips Marketing Manager Pete Borchetta, "The resulting luminaire is a fully tunable high output LED light engine supporting colour temperatures from 3000K to 5600K and full color mixing with a maximum output similar to that of a 70 watt metal halide powered luminaire."

"As an interactive Science Centre our requirement for lighting is based on more of a theatrical approach than traditional museum lighting," said Christine Hendry, creative manager at Questacon. "We use a combination of focused light and color washing luminaires and needed to have an integrated approach to our gallery lighting with a plan for implementation over several years. The PL1s were seen as the perfect solution for us."

"Our main criteria were the capability for individual luminaire adjustment, pre-programmed lighting scenes, which could be controlled from one point, the ability to color change walls/floors to create different environments, to reduce maintenance costs associated with replacement lamps and labour, and the ability to achieve color in a variety of ambient lighting levels. We were also looking for a product that could be integrated into our existing infrastructure with minimal cost."

"The Selecon PL1s are performing perfectly," continued Hendry. "We are able to change the lighting environment to suit the needs of the various exhibitions in our space, and have had a marked improvement in maintenance cost savings as we haven't needed to change any lamps in the galleries with the PL1s."

"We are so pleased with the results that we achieved with the PL1s and the flexibility the fittings provided that we have started a replacement program throughout our other galleries," Hendry concluded.

Denton Corker Marshall’s Melbourne Gateway (originally completed 1999) is described as the ‘Mother of all architectural interventions’* on the city’s freeways! A massive 70-meter yellow steel beam, which is cantilevered at precarious angles, traverses 8 lanes of freeway and 39 elegant steel and concrete red sticks measuring 30 meter high running north / south along either side of the road over 420 meters. The North section contains 21 sticks which are 7 meters apart from one another stretching over a 142-meter distance, while the South is a section of 18 sticks also 7 meters apart, spread over a 120-meter area and sitting in an artificial lake.

Transfield Services, the primary Maintenance Contractor for CityLink, approached Anolis’ Australian partner, The ULA Group to create a lighting design that improved the color, light qualities and ambience of the original installation. CityLink wanted the lighting to have a contemporary edge and be vastly more eco-friendly and more economical to operate.

Before discussions with Transfield Services, Jason Saunders assessed the projects requirements to find the appropriate product that would deliver the right results along with the best energy savings. Saunders Project Managed for ULA, worked in close collaboration with Manny Micallef, Transfield Services’ Technical Officer Mechanical and Electrical Assets. Based upon Saunders assessment and calculations, ULA specified the Anolis ArcSource 96 LED fixtures, for their “Impressive light output, ruggedness and ability to customize the product lensing and also the casing for vandal-resistance,” Saunders said.

The ArcSource 96 has consumes a maximum of 100Watts. Whereas the previous incandescent sources were 1000Watts each. The ArcSource 96s have tough protective back-plates, Anaconda cable casing, and a special lens array to ensure that the light reaches the right places.

The Transfield Services electricians removed the old lighting fixtures from their posts and replaced them with the ArcSource 96s, thus saving time and money. At the factory the units were customized with the fitting of wireless receiver cards and special antennas, for data control. This saved the installers the time and the trouble of running more cables. A total of 78 Anolis ArcSource 96s (two per stick) are utilized to light the Red Sticks which are clearly visible to all crossing the Melbourne Gateway. Each fixture is individually and independently controlled.

The control signal from the main transmission hub is sent directly to the Northern fixtures. At the furthest fixture at the154 meter - point, a repeater unit beams it to the Southern ArcSource 96s, and that repeated signal then runs from 148 meters to the most distant unit at 268 metres away. An E:Cue Butler XT system with automatic triggers controls the lights for seasonal changes and special occasions. The lights are on for 10 hours each night, year-round.

The Red Sticks’ lighting has a seasonal signature look which benefits from the ArcSource’s additive color mixing. They turn red in the summer, blue in the winter, cyan in the spring and yellow for the autumn. The exact hues were all fine-tuned by the ULA team to ensure that they work best visually when combined with the art.

Cuono Biviano, Managing director of ULA Group commented, “As a born and bred Melbournian it was an absolute honor for me and my team at The ULA Group to have successfully illuminated such an iconic and prominent piece of modern art, that has millions of viewers and is a major gateway to the Melbourne CBD … with a totally energy efficient intelligent LED light solution. It meets both today’s environmental standards and more importantly, the high standards placed on us by Transfield Services."

He continued, “Anolis LED solutions are built with a design life to ensure return on investment both through running costs and physical durability. It was a pleasure to have worked with Manny and his team, and we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with him and Transfield Services in the future."

Acuity's Holophane HMAO LED high masts use 290-watts per fixture, and are rated to deliver up to 100,000 hours of maintenance-free operation. The company says that they feature multiple LED modules, reducing the potential for dark areas in the event an LED module failure. The company says that through use of multiple LED drivers, HMAO LED high masts offer the choice of various lumen packages, and provide a back-up light source and overlapping distribution. Additionally, prismatic glass optics minimize the direct view of the light source.

"Our main goal is to provide a safe transportation system for the state of Maine," said Ron Cote, MaineDOT Electrical Supervisor. "We were looking for a light source that would provide lower maintenance and a whiter light. The benefits of multiple LED drivers and modules and the longevity of Holophane HMAO LED fixtures are exactly what we wanted. Additionally, the quality of light combined with the payback of these fixtures is absolutely incredible."

Acuity says that the state's previous high-pressure sodium light fixtures were turned off each night from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. in order to reduce operating costs. This left roads and rest areas dark during that time. In addition, the uneven light distribution from the previous fixtures left bright spots and glare on the road.

Each newly retrofitted light tower, operating from dusk to dawn each day, cost only about $66 per month to run, compared to $200 per month for each tower using the previous fixtures and operating a reduced number of hours. The energy cost reduction reportedly allows MaineDOT to leave the lights on throughout the night for a safer transit environment. Acuity says that once the retrofit project is completed, the HMAO LED high masts are expected to savings the MaineDOT about $135,000 annually and about $1.35 million over 10 years.

Light towers in the Falmouth area have already been retrofitted with the new HMAO LED high mast luminaires. The MaineDOT will also retrofit light towers in Portland, Saco, Kittery, Waterville, Bangor and Medway rest areas.

"More than 40 years ago, Holophane was first to market with innovative, high mast lighting systems," said Rob Drago, Acuity Brands Lighting Vice President, Infrastructure. "As an established leader in the industry, we continue to advance the technology, creating a best in class product that provides the features and benefits of a true high mast luminaire."

When assessing a potential energy-saving project, the WSU Energy & Sustainability Office found that HID lighting at the Dee Events Center was one of the single biggest power hogs. However, the university couldn't find other examples of using LEDs for lighting a sports arena.

“Month after month when the electric bill came for the Dee Events Center, all we could do was cringe and pay,” said Jacob Cain, WSU Energy & Sustainability Manager. “The new high bay lighting gives us brighter light with fewer fixtures, and we spend less money on energy. Now that’s something we welcome and our teams and fans can appreciate.”

GE Lighting offered the university an LED high bay fixture that is commonly used for warehouse applications. WSU’s energy team ordered one for analysis. They tested its capabilities for the unique setting. The Energy and Sustainability team measured its distribution of light, dimming capabilities, and net change in weight applied to the lighting scheme known as the cloud at the home of WSU’s men's and women's basketball. A mounting system was designed and fabricated, and then the single unit was hung for review by the athletics department.

Upon approval, 100 HID fixtures were replaced with a total of 80 LED fixtures. The installation was timed to take place without interrupting the basketball court's regular use. The new LED high bay lighting produces more than 200 foot candles, or the amount of light that falls on a given surface. This is reportedly double that of NCAA requirements for courts. Whereas the original lighting produced dim spots on the court, and foot candles ranged from 60-150 depending on location, Cain said.

Officials with WSU are pleased with the Albeo ABHX-Series because of the lighting quality, brightness, and distribution. In addition to considerable energy savings, GE says that it increases the ability for special effects because the LEDs instantly illuminate with no buzz or flickering and can be dimmable and adjustable in nine zones throughout the arena.

Additionally, GE says that the Albeo ABHX-Series LED lighting fixtures significantly diminish maintenance needs at the arenas where swapping bulbs requires special equipment and trained personnel. GE says that Albeo ABHX-Series LED lighting has an L70 of 100,000 hours, meaning that the LED fixtures are expected to still produce at least 70 percent of their original brightness after about 100,000 hours.

The Albeo ABHX-Series fixture can reportedly substitute for a range of legacy high bay lighting systems such as 250-watt to 1500-watt HID and four- to eight-lamp T5/T8 high-intensity fluorescent lighting. Conventional four to eight lamp T5s and T8s reportedly burn-out after 20,000-30,000 hours.

Escatec points out that in rural Africa, the typical source of light is a kerosene lamp, which is unhealthy, dangerous, and expensive. The company says, it is not uncommon for people to be spending $2 a week on kerosene and a further $1 on mobile phone charging. The challenge until now has been the upfront capital expense of a solar lighting system. Azuri has solved this by creating a Pay As You Go business model for users.

Customers reportedly pay a one-off install fee of around $10 and purchase a weekly scratchcard for about $1.50. The company says that this cuts their weekly energy spending by as much as 50% and the customer benefits from better quality illumination. The customer tops up their system with an Indigo scratchcard just as they would their mobile phone. A one-time top-up code is texted back and then input into the device’s keypad, enabling it to be used as much as required for a week. After around 18 months, the unit is completely paid for and can be permanently unlocked.

Nigel Preston, VP Product Management at Azuri stated, “We needed a product that could withstand the extremes of temperature, be rugged and reliable, but, above all else, it had to be affordable. The build cost had to be as low as possible without compromising the quality, which is why we went to Escatec with our product. They offer a rare combination of top notch design and development backed up with a high volume manufacturing capability.”

Gerhard Klauser, General Manager at Escatec Switzerland explained, “Our location in Switzerland enables us to have a close working relationship with Azuri who are based in the UK." Klauser said,"The initial low volume production run was done in our facility here and then transferred to our factory in Malaysia for volume runs." Klauser said, This gives them a gateway to the high volume, low labor cost benefits of production in Asia but with a local contact to ensure that everything always runs smoothly.”

Escate points out that reliable, quality illumination can change people's lives. For example, children and adults can study at home. shops can stay open past dusk, and people can work in the evening to earn more money. “Indigo is a simple and effective way to transform the life of millions of people and we are very proud to be making this happen,” concluded Nigel.

The installation involved over 500 fixtures distributed around the country. It was co-ordinated by Robe’s Estonian distributor, Tallinn based E&T Ltd.

Palle Palmé is based in Stockholm and works internationally on a wide variety of shows across theatre, live music and corporate event sectors. He has been working on shows at The Vanemuine Theater for the last 10 years. The the theater is renowned for its innovation and high production values. Palle Palmé for the first time used the new lighting rig with 55 x LEDWash 1200s, 30 x LEDWash 600s, 20 MMX Spots, 10 x 600E Spots and 24 x 600E Washes – all from Robe’s latest ROBIN series - at his disposal.

The LEDWash 1200s and 600s are being used generally for strong rear and side lighting and cross stage washes. These are all hung on the house LX bars. Eight of the 600s are in ‘shin-buster’ positions on the floor for low-level washing. Fourteen MMX Spots are used mid stage for back beam effects and for texturing the stage and set, designed by Ellen Cairnes. The other six MMXs are positioned on three FOH bars and used for front key-lighting as well as for more set and stage treatments.

Palmé has been using Robe products in his work for around 10 years. However, this was the first time that he’s used Robe’s MMX Spots.

“They are excellent,” he commented. "Very powerful and bright, great for both front and side lighting and highly versatile when using the graphics wheels and gobos.”

He also programs his own shows at Vanemuine, on this occasion using a Hog 3 console complete with over 400 cues. Palmé indicated that having the Robe’s MMX Spots “Really accelerated the process”. The show is being operated in the Big House by Kaspar Aus.

Palmé likes the color range of the LEDWashes and reckons that the whites are good, especially when combined with rich primaries like red to really accentuate the white. Palmé's trademark style is colorful and vivacious, which fits perfectly with both the cartoonish / pop-art aesthetic of this production of Grease. His lighting is also very ‘musical’ in keeping with the popular Grease soundtrack, played by a seven piece live band positioned offstage at Vanemuine.