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Quantum’s uniformity of light illuminates the path between Beuningen and Wichen

Luminarias Quantum entre Beuningen y Wychen

The route that links the cities of Beuningen and Wichen, in the Netherlands, has had its luminaires replaced by a more suitable option for today’s uses and with LED technology: the Quantum luminaire.

The quality of the lighting on this stretch, of less than 10 kilometers of the N847, is now better since a system that provides a quieter and more uniform light has been installed there. This option makes it easier for vehicles to drive along this route, which takes just 15 minutes by car and connects the towns of these two municipalities in the province of Gelderland.

Reduction of electricity consumption is another advantage of carrying out this change of luminaires on the N847 road.

This is not the first time that the Quantum model has been chosen in this province of the Netherlands, so its usefulness and performance have been tested in real cases in this area.

The main values that have been taken into account to choose this model, manufactured by SETGA, are the durability of the luminaire, the careful production process that we carry out in our company and its technical quality.

Quantum is an LED luminaire that is at the forefront of public outdoor lighting. Its design, reliability and high performance make it a great option. It is modularity structured in two bodies. Its rear part is made of a copper-free alloy, so its resistance to corrosion is one of its differential points.

As the enterprise points out, another special feature of this device is the high dust and water resistance (IP68) and the argon gas filling of the lamp compartment in combination with the innovative controller housing. This offers space for all kinds of future-proof controllers as well as outdoor lamp sensors.

The glass used is 100% of natural origin and, therefore, fully recyclable. This feature minimises the environmental impact of this luminaire. In addition, the carbon footprint is reduced in the production of Quantum.

In the case of the installation of this track between Beuningen and Wichen, the fittings are equipped with a Zhaga connector on top.

The company that installed the luminaires here was Speer Infra from Naarden.

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The LED conquest of the streets of Amsterdam is on the right track

In Amsterdam, light is an element of the city and accompanies the passer-by in their transit through the different streets. The care taken to combine aesthetics, careful lighting of the different spaces and energy efficiency is equal.

In mid 2019 a challenge was launched to the lighting market by means of a European tender to provide the best LED solution for this Dutch city. An ambitious project in which the ease of installation, the management burden, the reduction of energy used and the acquisition costs were taken into account.

The main objective was to improve the energy efficiency of the city, but respecting its original identity and aesthetic form, trying to produce the least impact on the life of passers-by.

Finally, the joint project between SETGA and Modernista was the winner of the tender. Together, both firms are now dedicating their efforts to transforming the plan into a reality and equipping this European capital with a total of 42,000 luminaires with high efficiency LED units.

This work will continue until 2021. During this time, thousands of lighting elements, divided into 73 different types, will be equipped with the latest generation LED light sources equipped
with argon gas technology.

In recent weeks, the heart of all ARC luminaires in the city of Amsterdam has been equipped with LED devices. The next step will be to transform the interior of more than 10,000 Friso Kramer fixtures (Indal 2000). This will be followed by the Aurora and FGS luminaires.

This is a firm commitment to co-innovation, agility and continuous technical support. The development of the LED units is carried out in close coordination between SETGA, the Amsterdam municipality and the installer. The final objective is to try to make light an integrating element between aesthetics and functionality, allowing a further step forward in the Amsterdam inhabitants life evolution and the space through which neighbours and visitors to the city of the Netherlands pass.

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SUSTAINABLE LIGHTING, A NEW CULTURE OF LIGHT

The problems of LED lighting can be resumed in three main areas: the protection of the night sky and the luminous glare, human health, especially in terms of night time illumination and interaction with the circadian cycle and, finally, the effects of lighting in night time ecosystems.

LIGHT POLLUTION

Well-used LED lighting can contribute to diminishing night time luminous glare, however the use of a much more efficient technology can in itself lead to increased light levels which would lead to a greater luminous glare. It is recommended that the diffusion of LED technology is accompanied by actions for to promote a new culture of light, which avoids the tendencies of excess that are so entrenched in our society, so that resource savings can be effectively achieved thanks to LED lighting, whilst limiting light pollution. The LEDs can be a great ally in this if they are combined with suitable control systems for the regulation of the luminous flux and suitable optical systems for each application.

For some time, an interdisciplinary consensus has been emerging which can usually be summarised in a series of points that already form part of good practice in lighting engineering:

  1. Use lighting where it is really necessary
  2. Use lighting during time periods when it is really necessary
  3. Avoid the emission of luminous flux above the horizontal.
  4. Avoid light intrusion (emission of luminous flux to areas other than that which needs to be illuminated)
  5. Use lighting levels adjusted to requirements of use, with possible temporary intensity regulation
  6. Use lighting with spectral characteristics suitable for the intended use, limiting the short wavelength light (blue) as much as possible.

Regulationand directionality:

This group recommends that the technical means necessary to take advantage of the possibilities light pollution reduction be introduced into the projects, whenever possible, thanks to the controllable and directionable characteristics of the LEDs.

Energy efficiency and light pollution:

It is recommended that the diffusion of LED technology is accompanied by actions for to promote a new culture of light, which avoids the tendencies of excess that are so entrenched in our society, so that resource savings can be effectively achieved thanks to LED lighting, whilst limiting light pollution.

Spectral considerations: blue light and light pollution:

It should be recommended that, in lighting reforms that imply movement to a whiter or bluish light than the existing one, it is systematically used at sufficiently reduced levels (always maintaining what is required by the regulations, safety and usage requirements of the illuminated spaces). 

POSSIBLE HEALTH RISKS OF LED LIGHTING

  1. The circadian system must function properly to maintain good health. Light is the main synchroniser of the circadian system and so it is important that day is day and night is night, which implies making proper use of lighting both inside and outside of buildings, and respecting a minimum number of hours of darkness.
  1. In general terms, normal indoor lighting levels during daylight hours, whilst sufficient to ensure visual performance, are markedly lower than those found in the natural environment. On the contrary, at night, both indoors and outdoors, artificial lighting levels are significantly higher than the natural lighting levels to which we are biologically accustomed. Healthy lighting should seek to recover the day-night contrast, increasing the former and decreasing the latter.
  1. Light received after daylight hours in significant quantities or with inadequate spectral composition can disrupt the circadian regulation system, with potential negative effects on human health.
  1. The effects of light on human physiology depend on a large number of factors, including intensity, spectrum, duration of exposure, time at which exposure occurs, the way in which light is administered, history of previous light exposure and the age of the person. Irrespective of other variables, blue light has much more potential than other wavelengths to cause significant effects on the circadian system. These effects can be caused by light of any spectral composition, however, if it is of sufficient intensity.
  1. As for outdoor night lighting, not only the energy efficiency criteria should prevail, so lighting with a reduced blue band spectrum, reducing the colour temperature (CCT) should be recommended for public lighting.
    Unnecessarily high lighting levels should also be lowered.
  1. When remodelling old outdoor lighting installations or installing new models, taking into account the fact that, at equal luminance levels, the intensity of the negative effects on people and the environment display an positive correlation with the colour temperature, tending to increase significantly when this is increased (although with significant variations depending on the technology), it should be ensured that the new lighting does not create negative effects on the circadian system, by using light sources with low blue light content or variable systems that allow a decrease of both the colour temperature and the level of illumination throughout the evening, reaching the lowest possible levels late at night.
  2. Manufacturers must provide the emission spectrum of their lighting and luminaires in the same way that their luminous efficacy or energy efficiency is reported.
  1. It is recommended that the relationship between the illuminance and the colour temperature of the sources in outdoor lighting installations is maintained within levels compatible with the Kruithof curves.
  1. On the other hand, it is essential to develop regulations to prevent the intrusion of public lighting intrusion into the private domain that takes into account the effects on human health described in this document. The maximum intrusive light levels established in ITC-EA-03 of Royal Decree 1890/2008, of November 14, which approves the Regulation of energy efficiency in outdoor lighting installations, and its complementary technical instructions EA-01 to EA-07, are expressed in photometric quantities, which are useful for characterising the visual effects of light, and should be scrupulously respected, but are not directly applicable to the prevention of unwanted effects on human health, which depend on spectral sensitivity functions different to photopic or scotopic vision.
  1. Recommendations for street lighting are also applicable for indoor lighting. It is necessary to develop technology that minimises circadian disruption at home and at work, while maintaining the required visual performance. In particular, in view of the fact that excessive light exposure at night, including that which is due to the use of luminescent screens, can cause sleep disruption and aggravate disorders, especially in minors, it is recommended to use light sources with the minimum possible blue light content during night hours.
  1. During the daylight hours, in cases where natural light cannot be used, it is recommended to raise the lighting levels and the colour temperature of the lamps, especially in the morning, maintaining the luminance of the same within safe limits.
  1. To protect the eyesight against the risks specifically contemplated in EN 62471, legal limits must be established on the risk group of lamps that can be installed indoors and outdoors for general purpose lighting.
  1. For protection against photooxidative risks not covered in EN 62471 (among others, acute exposure in periods of time greater than 10,000s and chronic exposure to levels below the maximum levels set in the standard), use sources of light with the lowest possible content within the blue light damage sensitivity band.
  2. In accordance with the ANSES recommendations, both manufacturers, as well as authorities and independent laboratories should quantitatively assess and report on the wear of the phosphor layers of the pc-LED sources, which could, over time, lead to a higher level of the photobiological risk group.
    {82 Researchers should unify the way in which light is measured, to facilitate comparisons between studies, or alternatively include both radiometric and photometric measurements.
  1. Many published articles identify exposure to night light in humans by satellite images of the reflected brightness, and there is hardly any data on the light that subjects receive at an individual level, so it would be advisable to move forward in the study of exposure to individual levels in order to establish references.
  1. Many experimental studies on the effects of light are carried out in nocturnal animals which are extremely sensitive to light and whose melatonin secretion is in phase with their period of activity, rather than in antiphase as is the case with humans. For this reason, it is possible that we are unaware of many of the effects of exposure to night light on diurnal species.
  1. The precautionary principle should be applied, and we have an obligation to work on the development of new healthy lighting technologies that safeguard the human body clock and do not interfere with the normal circadian rhythms of animals and plants.

 

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The most avant-garde station in the Netherlands and its lighting strategy

Arnhem Centraal Station opened its doors in November 2015, fulfilling the expectations of a long-term project that sought to consolidate itself as a new icon of Dutch and European architecture. The project is led by UN studio, the main architecture firm in the country. The lighting section of Arup, the world leading brand in urban engineering, was directed by the prestigious Dutch light designer Irish Dijkstra, founder of Atelier Lek. The presence of “Lighting Designers” in the project team allowed the implementation of an independent strategic lighting technology capable of responding to the foundations of modern architecture, and so enhancing its essence: the meeting of light and form. Since 2007, Atelier Lek contributed to the creation of an avant-garde vision of the station, later translating it into an executable master plan capable of integrating total cost of ownership, visual comfort and aesthetic harmonisation. Following a benchmark of the most advanced and versatile alternatives on the market, the Lined luminaire from Setga was the design selected to illuminate the access roads and the surroundings of this futuristic railway station.

Technological reliability

The applied luminaire stands out for its APS (Argon Pressurised System) technology with IP68 rated seals, whereby the optical-electronic module is pressurised in an inert atmosphere of argon gas in order to prevent the entry of moist air from outside. A phenomenon caused by the pressure reduction experienced within the interior of any standard LED luminaire at the time when it is switched off. By creating such an inert atmosphere, the destructive effects of moisture, salinity, volatile organic components and sulphurisation in LED semiconductors are therefore avoided, all of these being elements which are present in the external environment of a city.

It should be noted that recent studies by Samsung Electronics [1] [2] and the Harbin Institute of Technology [3], presented empirical evidence on premature flow degradation and variations in colour temperature and CRI due to the impact of such agents SETGA argon gas technology (APS) was therefore a particularly valued aspect when analysing the potential for lifespan, yield and colour stability of the product in a country where relative humidity indices are above 80%. In order to minimise the total cost of ownership (TOC), the Lined luminaire incorporates a long-term replacement programme whereby the manufacturer has the ability to update LED technology inside the optical-electronic module by reusing the rest of the components of the luminaire. According to a thesis produced at the prestigious ESADE business school, LED technologies based on inert atmospheres and in this L/P maintenance model would entail an additional 40% reduction in the total cost of ownership of the EU public lighting infrastructure with respect to the existing LED standards in the market, from -50.46% to -70.58%. 

Avant-garde and conceptual versatility.

According to the SETGA project team, composed of Jesús Saveedra, Jorge Lameiro, and Francisco Paz, “the Arnhem Centraal Station project was an opportunity for co-innovation, from which the elementary form of the Lined Luminaire demonstrated once again its ability to adapt to the essence of each urban challenge.” On this occasion, Irish Dijkstra was looking for a symmetrical column capable of providing continuity to the form, avoiding arrogant design in order to preserve harmony with a modern environment, based on a principle of aesthetic honesty. From this vision, the Arnhem column series was born.

 

[1]Costantini.A; Sulfurization – Samsung LED technology, Samsung Electronics

(2015). 

[2]Lee.S; Case study of LED PKG fieldfailures, discoloration.

Samsung Electronics (2015). 

[3]Zhao, S., Caers, J., Hang, C., Fei, J., Tian, Y ., Zhang, W., Wang,C. (2013). Theeffects of

humidity and temperatureon flexible packagingled modules. Philips Research High Tech

Campus 34, Harbin Institute of Technology, p 1126 – 1129

 

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SETGA will light up the Dutch railways

In mid-2017, Pro-Rail, the Duth equivalent of the Spanish Adif, launched a contest for the supply of LED luminaires for lighting in all stations in the country. Many manufacturers participated in an arduous process of pre-selection and approval, but only three brands were selected by the Dutch railway management company to participate in this tender: Dutch company Philips, Belgian company Schréder, and Spanish company Setga.

The Galician manufacturer was the winner of the project to provide the exterior lighting of the platforms with a value of 1.8 million euro. Despite the complex technological requirements, SETGA achieved the highest score in technical terms and total guarantee.

Its patented anti-humidity technology applied to the LED module, based on high-resistance IP67 and IP68 seals with Argon gas have been highly valued by Pro-Rail when estimating a longer life cycle and the consequent reduction in total maintenance costs. Equally important was the speed of supply achieved through a production system based on native manufacturing of 97% of the value added in components through a JIT system (“Just in Time”) composed exclusively of auxiliary industries throughout Galicia and further afield in Spain.

This scheme has allowed this tender to be submitted with a maximum delivery period of five weeks, which has even been beaten in supply of the first nine stations, achieving a record period of four weeks. Stations such as Rotterdam, Zuid and Rhenen, among nine others, have already been equipped with the TSD LED luminaires manufactured by the Pontevedra factory since last November. This is undoubtedly the beginning of a project that will cover a significant part of the 397 stations of the Dutch Rail Network over the next five years.

With this milestone, this thriving Galician manufacturer demonstrates not only that it is consolidated in the municipal market of the Netherlands with the presence of its technology in over 84 municipalities, including Amsterdam and its metropolitan area, Almere, Nijmegen, Assen and the Hague; it also reaffirms its capacity in the market of the great governmental infrastructures of Holland, after illuminating the expansion of the port of Rotterdam between 2016-2017, as well as various infrastructures of the Dutch defense ministry.

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“Spanish LED lighting conquers the streets of the Netherlands”

On November 25, Het Financiee le Dagblad (fd.nl), the leading Dutch financial newspaper, published the headline “Spanish LED lighting conquers the streets of Holland”. This article highlighted the surprising progression experienced by Spanish manufacturer Setga in the Dutch market, the founding cradle of the European lighting industry, where between 2013 and 2014 they obtained two consecutive contracts to illuminate the most emblematic areas of Amsterdam, a success which contributed to the subsequent adoption of Galician LED technology in over 30 cities in the country during the course of 2015. This recognition in the Dutch national press explicitly mentioned the cities of Nijmegen, Almere, Arnhem, Aalsmeer, Amsterdam, Wassenaar and Bergen, and included the testimonies of several engineers from these municipalities, who highlighted the high technological value of the Galician manufactured LED luminaires.

Of all these projects, the completion of the integral change to LED in the historic centre of Bergen took on a particularly nostalgic dimension for the world of Spanish industrial design, as the icon inspired by the gas lamps that characterised the Atlantic and Cantabrian cities of the early nineteenth century, was managed to be imposed on luminaries of French tradition and central European inspiration. In this way, the lamp developed jointly by Pontevedra architect Jesús Folé and Setga for the historic centre of Pontevedra, is consolidated in the map of European urban design, even being earmarked within the urban plans for the German city of Berlin.

The most relevant milestone of the year for the Galician lighting industry, however, took place after the publication in Het Financieele Dagblad. Against all odds, at the beginning of December, Setga LED technology began to illuminate the exterior of Arnhem Centraal Station, currently the most avant-garde station in the Netherlands. The project is led by UN studio, the main architecture firm in the country. The lighting section of Arup, the world leading brand in urban engineering, was directed by the prestigious Dutch light designer Irish Dijkstra, founder of Atelier Lek. Finally, the Lined LED luminaire from Setga, whose first pilot tests began in the cities of A Coruña, Vigo and Pontevedra over four years ago, was the design selected to illuminate the access roads and the surroundings of this futuristic station. The ability of its patented argon gas technology to completely neutralise the destructive effect of moisture and salinity on the electronic components of the luminaire, was a particularly valued aspect when analysing the potential for lifespan, performance and colour stability of the different alternatives that were considered for this project. The first of the projects, in Bergen, achieved a relative saving in consumption (Kw/h) of 78%, whilst the second project in Arnhem achieved 81%, levels that are very close to the Spanish record of an 82% energy saving, achieved by one of the first ESES implemented with LED technology in the municipality of Catoira, in the northwest of Spain, which was fully equipped with Setga technology.

In order to continue to increase its growth in the Dutch market over the next few years, Setga has secured an investment agreement in early December with Modernista, its exclusive distributor in the country for 6 years. The joint conquest of the most emblematic projects of the country in the last two years: Amsterdam Red Carpet, Amsterdam XXI century, Bergen and Arnhem station, together with an average sales growth of 270%, and entry into over 30 municipalities, have been the main drivers of this acquisition.  The main objective of this strategic decision is to build upon the co-innovation, agility and continuous technical support model developed successfully during the last 25 years in Spain. With this objective, its subsidiary Setga Nederland and Modernista have created a project centre for the Netherlands, which has meant a 100% growth in the operational workforce in the country. With a project portfolio of over €5 Million, Setga has now achieved 3% of the Dutch market share, in an industry where the largest local players individually achieve less than 15%. With the financial strengthening of Modernista, Setga expects to achieve at least 10% market share in the next three years. Continued focus on innovation and technological intelligence will be a key factor in consolidating Setga’s position in the Dutch market.  The development of its latest generation LED luminaires equipped with Argon gas technology has meant a total investment of €2,700,000, including machinery and equipment, R&D costs and the requirement for over 25 international approvals from the energy institutes of the 11 countries in which Setga operates. During 2016 and 2017, the annual investment level in R&D will grow by 220%, which will make way for the third generation of LED luminaires.

Despite its diversification towards international markets, Setga remains committed to retaining over 95% of its component value chain in Spain, and at least 80% in Galicia. Of the 50 mechanical and electronic components that make up a luminaire on average, 40 are manufactured less than 50 kilometeres from the Pontevedra headquarters of Setga.

Source of Dutch article:

http://fd.nl/ondernemen/1128790/spaanse-ledverlichting-verovert-nederlandse-straten