Light to take hold of

The lighting test center at the Siteco factory in Traunreut is something special. There are only two installations of this kind in the world. About 75 tests and presentations take place here each year, whereby the majority of the events are demonstrations. Approx. 2.500 visitors come to the lighting test center each year.

The demonstrations at the lighting test center are usually frequented by representatives of local authorities or municipal utilities who are seeking information about the possibilities of effective cost savings and aesthetically demanding street lighting. However, other institutions such as TÜV, DEKRA, the police and the Federal Supreme Court have taken part in the events. During daytime, the area looks like a loading station. Four movable portals like cranes line the dead straight street. Many different outdoor luminaires are installed on the vertical lift beams of the portals. The presentations begin when darkness falls. The first setting: standard fluorescent tubes that are still installed in many local authorities throw their dim light onto the street. An automobile drives up. The headlights dazzle.

The child (a cardboard model) next to the automobile is hardly visible. The lighting is changed. Modern luminaires with reflector optics and metal halide lamps illuminate the scene. A murmur passes through the rows of observers – the difference is obvious.

Several other scenarios follow. The demonstration, which is preceded by a presentation about the principles of lighting technology, lasts about an hour. At the end, the visitor has experienced what no simulation can give: variations in illumination subjected to direct and graphic comparison under real conditions. The events at the lighting test road are a valuable assistance in reaching a decision that could not otherwise be made.

Whereas in the area of streetlighting traditional characteristics such as economy, reliability and ease of maintenance are of importance, upward light imission is becoming more decisive than ever before. The amount of emitted light radiated upwards into the hemisphere is to be kept to an absolute minimum.