Packed with a suite of rich features, this innovative app is designed to empower consumers by providing them with real-time monitoring and data on energy consumption, solar energy generation, and inverter performance. In doing so, the application enables users to make informed decisions about their energy usage, fostering sustainable energy practices while reducing reliance on traditional grid sources.

According to Preeti Bajaj, CEO & MD, Luminous Power Technologies, “At Luminous, we envision a future where intelligent, interconnected solutions empower individuals and businesses through enhanced energy management. The user-friendly design, and features like real-time monitoring and data on energy consumption, make this App the perfect solution leading to optimised solar system performance. We are committed to simplifying energy management for the people and lead the way in smart energy solutions, with a strong focus on innovation and sustainability,”

With the launch, Luminous Power Technologies aims to reach consumers across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. The app’s versatility is designed to cater to a diverse consumer base and ensure that advanced energy management is accessible to users in various markets and sectors. The ConnectX App is compatible with Luminous’ range of Solar products, including Solarverter Pro, Hybrid, PCU, and NXI GTI Series. The users will benefit from access to real-time data and insights, informing them about power generation, energy usage patterns, as well as performance and health of the inverter through notifications and update.

Measuring such a vanishingly rapid burst of ionizing radiation has previously proved challenging. But while electronics are too slow to measure these light pulses, optical effects can be essentially instantaneous. Squeezing all of the energy of a continuous laser into short pulses means that femtosecond laser pulses are extremely bright and have the ability to modify a material’s absorption or refraction, creating effectively instantaneous ‘optical shutters’.

The new research work

A recent research shows how to measure the super-short bursts of high-frequency light emitted from Free Electron Lasers (FELs). By using the light-induced ionization itself to create a femtosecond optical shutter, the technique encodes the electric field of the FEL pulse in a visible light pulse so that it can be measured with a standard, slow, visible-light camera.

Explaining the significance of the work, Pamela Bowlan, Los Alamos National Laboratory’s lead researcher on the project, said, “This work has the potential to lead to a new online diagnostic for FELs, where the exact pulse shape of each light pulse can be determined.  That information can help both the end-user and the accelerator scientists. This work also paves the way for measuring x-ray pulses or femtosecond time-resolved x-ray images.”

Significance of the work

This idea has been widely used for measuring visible-light femtosecond laser pulses. But the higher-frequency extreme ultraviolet light from FELs interacts with matter differently; this light is ionizing, meaning that it pulls electrons out of their atoms. The researchers showed that ionization itself can be used as a ‘femtosecond optical shutter’ for measuring extreme ultraviolet laser pulses at 31 nanometers.

Detailing further on the research, Bowlan said, “Ionization typically changes the optical properties of a material for nanoseconds, which is 10,000 times slower than the FEL pulse duration. But the duration of the rising edge of ionization, determined by how long it takes the electron to leave the atom, is significantly faster. This resulting change in the optical properties can act as the fast shutter needed to measure the FEL pulses.”

About the research

This work was performed at the FERMI Free Electron Laser in Trieste, Italy, in collaboration with Emanuele Pedersoli, Laura Foglia, Riccardo Mincigrucci, Ivaylo Nikolov, Miltcho B. Danailov, Flavio Capotondi, and Filippo Bencivenga and with Rick Trebino from Georgia Tech. It was funded under the Los Alamos Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) grant 20180242ER. Travis Jones was supported by the African American Partnership Program.

Los Alamos researchers involved on this project were William K. Peters, Travis Jones, Anatoly Efimov, and Pamela Bowlan.

Lighting can now deliver much more beyond just illumination, thanks to the digital nature of LEDs. You can now connect to the internet, enhance the freshness of your lettuce, grow the best salmon, design and 3D print your own customized luminaire and disinfect your rooms, all thanks to lighting.

Across the globe, train travel is having something of a moment. A new awareness of the environmental effects of air transport has forced travelers to confront their own impact on the planet and seek out sustainable alternatives. Rail operators are getting in on the trend, stepping up overnight services on long-distance routes, laying high speed track, and offering luxury experiences that tap into a nostalgic vision of a bygone age. But today’s operators have a challenge that didn’t exist in the golden age of steam: keeping all those passengers and their devices online. As the leader in lighting innovation, Signify is addressing the challenge of connectivity on board, and amazingly, we’re doing it all through the power of light. Not only can lighting provide connectivity on the go, but it does it all at blistering speeds that far surpass the WiFi connections we’re used to. And naturally, it includes great quality light. Signify’s Trulifi is a connectivity technology that uses light waves to enable an internet connection that’s fast, stable and reliable. It’s great for super speed internet in the workplace, and for transportation, the benefits are multiplied. What’s more, unlike the radio spectrum, the light spectrum is license-free. This means no upfront investment for network operations in government-issued spectrum licenses.

The world’s population is also growing at a staggering speed. It’s estimated that we’ll need to produce 70% more food in the next 15 years just to keep up. It’s clear that food production as we know it is not going to cut it. To feed everyone adequately, our global food supply needs nothing short of a revolution. Consumers are demanding food that’s better in quality, fresher and healthier. And that’s not the only consideration. It’s likely that many of our foods have racked up air miles on the way to our plate, contributing to a less-than-healthy carbon footprint. Farmers, already stretched to produce more with a shrinking proportion of arable land, are bringing crops indoors, where their surroundings can be automatically controlled.

With light recipes from Signify’s Horticulture Lighting solutions, farmers can replicate the optimal light patterns for each crop, creating higher yields of the best quality. And with the right technology, water resources can be reduced by up to 90% and without the need for chemical pesticides. That’s a win for both food productivity and the environment.

Wild fish stocks are under constant strain due to unsustainably high customer demands. According to the UN, a staggering 90% of the world’s marine fish stocks are being exploited, overexploited or depleted. In such times, fish farming companies are looking for solutions that can help them conduct their business sustainably. Signify’s aquaculture lighting system with underwater lights of up to 100,000 lumen, can mimic the summer sun. In the summer, in fact, fish convert feed better, which also translates into faster growth rates. This also means less food waste, cleaner water and lower costs to feed the fish. LED lighting has proven to be an effective tool to upgrade fish farming sites and improve the animals’ living environment. This results in optimized feed conversion rates and a lowered risk of parasite infections.

More and more consumers are becoming conscious of their consumption habits, hence it makes sense that even your lights are designed to be sustainable for the long term. Thanks to 3D printed luminaires, now you can design your own ceiling lamp and get it delivered directly to your home. These 3D printed Philips luminaires made from recyclable or recycled polycarbonate materials have a 47% lower carbon footprint compared with a metal luminaire. The finished product has the high quality you expect from a Philips luminaire but 2/3rd the weight, which translates to a 35% reduction in the carbon footprint when shipping. In 2019, Signify launched a service that enables consumers to tailor luminaires online and have them printed and delivered to their door.

Given the current pandemic we are in, the lighting industry has shifted its focus towards developing strong UV-C application expertise to fight COVID-19.  It is a well-known fact that UV-C light at a wavelength of 253.7nm has a very powerful germicidal effect. It deactivates the DNA of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens, destroying their ability to multiply and cause infections. In healthcare lighting, many companies have developed a broad range of effective UV-C lamps, luminaires, devices, control systems and services recently. These can be used in a variety of air, surface, object and water disinfection applications, which is quite essential in the current scenario. According to some studies, wiping gadgets and accessories with an alcohol-based sanitizer might not be very effective in killing germs and bacteria, and can also cause damage to their outer layer. However, disinfecting these objects with UV-C light can help in destroying 99.9% of all viruses that accumulate on the surface without causing any damage.

Lighting beyond illumination is only getting stronger and deeper as a concept that’s dominating the lighting industry. Our intimate relationship with light continues to evolve and designers continue to develop products and services that mesh with human behaviour, aid in solving our problems, and drive meaningful innovations.

Lighting is not only needed to see the other fish and food provided, but it is also the only way for fish to determine time and season. Larger and deeper tanks, with fish that grow in changing water conditions, create challenges for light distribution via specifically developed optics light is distributed homogeneously throughout the tank, avoiding dark spots. The electronics within the lights mimic sunrise and sunset. The grow lights have an optimal light recipe to bring enough light within the tank, increasing visibility on the food and each other. This reduces stress, improves food conversion ratio, and allows fish to grow at their best.

Kees Kloet, COO, the Kingfish Company, said: “To achieve success, you must get all aspects right in the RAS, and light is one of them. We chose Signify because of their expertise and credibility. They were the first to offer LED lighting in aquaculture and do long-term research in this area. The results give us confidence as we scale up our production.”

Designed by Virgin Galactic in collaboration with Seymourpowell of London, the SpaceShip Two vehicle has included very special lighting and allied design. The colour palette of the cabin has been carefully curated — so that it complements the architecture of the seat, the cabin itself and spacesuits. The golden metallics resemble luminous desert sands, blues conjure celestial spaces and teals inspired by the ocean ground travelers back to earth.

Virgin has pioneered mood lighting on its commercial aircraft, and that idea has been translated by Virgin Galactic, into the new era of commercial spaceflight. Multi-colour LEDs are concealed within the “Halo” window surrounds and are used to subtly reflect back and therefore elevate, the human responses to each of the contrasting stages of flight. At the pinnacle of the experience, as the Earth comes into view against the black sky of space, all lighting is extinguished, bringing an instant focus to the profoundly beautiful vista

Optimal lighting improves fish welfare and results in a better feed conversion ratio lowering maturation rate. It also protects fish from sea lice infestation. Signify offers Philips Aquaculture LED lighting products that ScaleAQ will resell with an initial focus on marine-based/seacage products. Leveraging 125 years of Signify’s lighting experience in innovation, technology and equipment, the partnership provides customer-tailored sustainable solutions to the Aquaculture industry with a focus on quality, efficiency, service and being future proof.

Bill Bien, Head of Agricultural Lighting Business, Signify said: “The aquaculture industry is growing rapidly and needs partnerships like this to meet the increasing need for local presence and support, at the same time using R&D resources to develop solutions for the future. Our focus on lighting recipes, IoT and data insights play a crucial role in optimizing agricultural businesses in the future, helping us to create custom solutions together with ScaleAQ that are solid growth platforms for fish farmers.”

Per Ivar Lund, Head of Business Development, ScaleAQ said: “We are very pleased to be partnering with Signify on aquaculture lighting systems. As a global partner and advisor to the aquaculture industry, it’s important for us to be able to offer a wide variety of products and the Philips lights will be an important addition for both our sea-based and future land-based efforts. We believe the industry will also benefit from our collaboration on servicing the lights. ScaleAQ will now be able to provide its customers with service on the Philips lights from its many local offices around the world.”

Wipro is a proud leader of modern workspace lighting that helps create interiors that are sophisticated, stylish and most importantly, productive. Our ‘Right Light Philosophy’ acts as food to create, facilitate the explosion of new ideas.

Cleanroom Lighting: We have more than 20 years of experience, dedicated team of cleanroom lighting specialists, products which conform to international standards, developed using the latest technology adapting to meet the changing needs of the industry. Application areas of our products include major pharmaceutical companies, food and beverages factories, and electronics and semiconductor industries.

Industry Lighting: In the industrial sector our luminaires have been designed for energy efficiency & high performance. We adopt a consultative approach to lighting. Our products find applications in all general types of lighting with a focus on productivity and safety of
the employees.

Outdoor Lighting: We have superior lighting solutions for Smart Cities. Our street lights aim at precision optical design, uniform light distribution, use advance LED technology and are designed to blend with urban architecture. The focus is on enhanced safety on roads along with higher energy savings. Our Floodlights used in Infrastructure projects are functional, reliable, durable and highly energy efficient. Options of wide and narrow beam distribution give a distinctive atmosphere at the same time, help save operating costs.

What’s your approach towards energy-efficiency? Any recent projects or innovations?

Future belongs to energy efficiency, with evolving work culture and increasing energy cost, customers are looking at energy-saving opportunities. Lighting constitutes a significant part of total energy consumption. In homes and offices, approximately 20% – 30% of the total energy consumed is due to lighting.

At Wipro, we promote the development of a sustainable eco-friendly infrastructure which encourages energy conservation and promote optimum use of resources mitigating the negative impact on the environment and people. We have designed and provided lighting solutions and products to over 55% of green buildings within the country.

Our Force Green Initiative comprises of innovation & design, usage of advanced LED technology, experience & expertise and energy optimisation techniques. Our philosophy of reduce, reuse and recycle makes us a market leader in Green Building Solutions.

Wipro Lighting is at the forefront in driving the change by offering latest technology lighting solutions using LEDs.

Usage of human-centric lights

Human-centric lighting can be pursued in all walks of life – offices, banks, healthcare segments etc. People nowadays spend most of their day indoors and are hardly exposed to natural light. Human-centric lighting helps mimic the daylight for employees working for longer durations in offices, keep their circadian rhythm in place.

With human-centric lighting in classrooms, students can concentrate better as their circadian rhythm is still in tune with the natural light.

Human-centric lighting solutions have shown tremendous results in healthcare segments. Especially patients have shown positive response and greater speed of recovery in the presence of human-centric lights.

How do you live up to greener comfortable lights?

As the world moves towards becoming greener and cleaner, energy efficiency is a key parameter to measure the performance of energy-consuming devices. This is even more so in Lighting as luminaires consume close to a quarter of all energy consumed in a building.

Reduced costs in terms of energy savings; Comfort in terms of enhanced user experience & uniform lighting; Convenience in terms of plug and play; or easy choice of scene select systems – are what customers look at while deciding a suitable lighting control system for usage.

That’s why Wipro Lighting’s range of eSence sensors and lighting controls are a sensible choice in homes and offices. These are perfect for use in drawing rooms, bedrooms and office spaces such as meeting rooms, executive cabins, receptions and cafeterias.

Key USP’s for Wipro lighting products that you wish to highlight.

Innovation & Design are a way of life at Wipro Lighting. We have been a market leader in lighting for commercial spaces.

We are a top choice in the market when it comes to lighting modern workspaces. We offer state-of-art lighting designs and solutions that blend well with the existing architecture and create an enriching work experience.

Our industrial lighting solutions are best-in-class, energy-efficient with innovative design to ensure longer service life with low running operating costs in industries.

Wipro is committed to the use of the latest technology and the company is focused on providing solutions which are in tune with the latest technology and future trends. The team is always looking out for innovation in products concerning the latest design trends. Our products are designed for high performance with maximum energy efficiency and offer reliable service life, thus imparting value for price to the customer.

Feature-wise, this versatile floodlighting family offers CCT selectability, multiple mountings, narrow to wide beam spreads and photocell options to suit contractors’ every installation need. The series includes four housing sizes that deliver outputs from 1,590 to 13,180 lumens across the range (15W, 29W, 50W, 70/90W). Its higher wattage models are CCT selectable, enabling customers to choose from 3000K, 4000K or 5000K in a single product. Lower wattages are available in the same colour temperatures individually. All Slim Flood Light models are DesignLights Consortium (DLC) Premium listed, enabling the fixtures to qualify for utility rebate programs where available.

Threaded knuckle, yoke and slipfitter mounting options make it easy for contractors to address ground, wall or pole installation needs. A 3-pin twist-lock photocontrol receptacle with shorting cap is included standard on 70W and 90W models, providing stocking distributors with a ready-made solution.

Decoding Ultraviolet light

UV radiation can be divided into UV-A (320 to 400 nm), UV-B (280 to 320 nm) and UV-C rays (200 to 280 nm). The reason why UV radiation is effective as a disinfectant against various bacteria and viruses is it disrupts their DNA and thus prevents them from performing vital functions. Yet, not all kinds of UV light is effective for disinfection. For disinfection purposes, the optimum wavelength required is in the range of 260 nm to 275 nm and germicidal effectiveness falls exponentially with longer wavelengths.

Power intensity, wavelength and exposure duration are some of the major factors typically used to determine effectiveness of UV light against microbes. For example, on surfaces and in water, there might be several germs with differing optimal absorption wavelengths. For any given wavelength of Germicidal UV (GUV), its exposure duration and power would need to be determined in order to achieve the required level of sterilization.

While developing a product for a particular disinfection requirement, it is imperative to gauge the performance of UV LEDs under different conditions and how these conditions are related to one another. While power and wavelength are the first factors a design engineer considers, these are not the only factors to be considered. The wavelength, viewing angle and radiation pattern provide insights with respect to the usefulness of the power specified and current related information provide room for control and design of system for end of life requirements. Lastly, thermal related information such as maximum junction temperature and thermal resistance are important specifications for development of an efficient and application specific thermal management.

GUV is ideal for use in offices, hospitals, parking lots, hotels, factories and warehouses, train stations etc. to make the manual sanitisation process easier and more effective. Many companies in India will be launching a pre-tested UV product line that will include sanitization enclosures, wands, remote-controlled robots etc. applicable for both industrial and residential usage.

Is UV light safe for humans?

UV-C light only penetrates the upper layers of the skin and eye while the shortest wavelengths hard penetrate living cells. Hence,  it may cause a slight, transitory sunburn from accidental over-exposure to the skin. Even though GUV lamps may pose a theoretical delayed hazard, incidental UV exposures would not significantly increase one’s lifetime risk for cataract or skin cancer when compared with exposure to UV light from the sun on a daily basis. As a precaution, it is important to avoid entering the disinfected area after 30-40 minutes of operation of a GUV lamp. Also, one should not look directly into the disinfection lamp in order to prevent damage to the eyes. The products developed using this technology will also have to be intelligent keeping in consideration the requirements of daily usage.

UV to experience an accelerated usage

While some of the effects of this pandemic might be short-lived, it is certain that the emphasis on cleanliness will stay. Consumers are likely to remain conscious of hygiene and it is going to influence their purchase decisions such as where to shop, which restaurant to dine in etc. In 2018, the global UV disinfection equipment market was valued at $1.1 billion. According to Allied Market Research, it is expected to reach $3.4 billion by 2026. Slowly, we see an accelerated adoption of technologies like GUV not just in hospitals, health care services and public spaces but also in common households. By investing in disinfection solutions such as GUV, we would be able to ensure better protection of our health and would be able to adjust more easily to the ‘new normal.’

 Author:

Parag Bhatnagar,
Senior Vice President
Havels India Ltd.

As part of the transition to human centric lighting, there is increasing demand for ‘natural’ light sources. The evolution of the human species has conditioned us to thrive in daylight hours by the light of the sun, and after dusk, in the warm glow of fire. Vesta Thrive enables the development of luminaires that not only deliver natural full spectrum lighting, but also allow new opportunities to personalize lighting, tailoring our environment to individual preferences or task-oriented needs.