Rural Lighting Control Issues in North Carolina

Dan Caton –President, North Carolina Section of the IDA

Prof. Physics & Astronomy , Appalachian State University

Objectives of This Presentation

• Look at efforts to reduce light pollution in rural North Carolina (small towns and rural counties).

• Share some ideas, observations and insights.

• Generate suggestions and questions from you– after all, that’s why we’re here!

My Concern: our Dark Sky Observatory

In the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina

•32-inch Telescope

•Lab for three astronomers and their students

•$500,000 investment

Dome and Cline Visitor Center

We have a variety of problems like this

None as good as this…

Our only campus floodlight: guess where it is used?

Banking on lots of light

Got gas?

Here’s some relief…

Sports Lighting

But, our #1 Rural Enemy: D2D

This “1973” shot impossible today!

Movie started…

Solution: put a lid on it!

• New GE SkyGard shown here.

• Available separate, in 5-packs, and with luminaire

• Guaranteed to 100 mph, tested to 120

Why not use?

Phone conversation with Carolina Power & Light (now merged with Florida Power – 1 million lights)

• Charge extra for sky caps (charge the non-polluters!)• Rates frozen during merger – had not changed lighting

cost rates in 15 years!• Had “nearly 100% failure” in recent hurricanes (#?, what

did that mean??)• CP&L has held focus groups on security lights—warm

and fuzzy feelings, etc. (Why did they really hold them?—cash cows!)

CPL Revisited…

• Moving to all FCO roadway

• Will provide GE SkyGard “NightCaps”

• All other fixtures will be available with shields (floods, cubes, etc.)

NRL&P serves the town of Boone•Owned by Appalachian State University—you would think I could have some influence.

•Met with their head person and some ASU staff

•They dissed the Hubbell Sky Cap I had brought along, saying they had had little success with them. I gave up on sky caps.

•Single biggest LP mistake…

BREMCO

• Regional utility cooperative, BREMCO, was asked by my department chair to do something about the glare from his security light. Solution?

• Spray paint• Asked about sky caps they told him that they had

problems with them “falling off.”

IDA Newsletter

• About a year ago I asked for info in the IDA Newsletter …

• I repeated it in the current issue … Results?• NO reports of problems! So…• Somebody’s lying or incompetent! (Utilities)

U. Texas McDonald ObservatoryTalked a person from McDonald at January AAS Light Pollution Session.

•800 sky caps installed in area with 105-mph winds.

•Funded through donations, McD makes cold calls on owners of lights they want shielded, customer requests it, utility installs free.

•Number of failed shields?

•One (1) (uno)!

•Number of customers who requested their cap be removed?

•One (1) (uno)!

My Planned project• Start with SkyGards donated by GE (thanks, Lynn!), as a pilot demonstration

• Seek private funding for a seed stock of ~1,000 caps (and perhaps a bucket truck, technician).

• Install near observatory and at high-visibility locations (town, churches, schools, parks).

• Subtly encourage replacement cost donations.

• Get utilities on board.

• Keep it going!

Science Fair: MHV and Life

Hens exposed to MHV light dropped egg production by ~50%. Will see how recovery goes…[update..]

Hamster exposed stopped normal nocturnal activity.

(Beans not sprouted yet…)

Science Fair: colors under LPSColor samples were illuminated with low-pressure sodium light. White light from MH source was added until color identified. Typical 35% needed at 8 fc total (mesopic vision).

Other work: Lowe’s

Ways Lowe’s can help with LP

• Commit to using full cut off lighting in your new stores and renovations.

But note the floods

Ways Lowe’s can help

Stock some cut off fixtures so customers have a choice.

Regent not interested!

And this…

Ways Lowe’s can help

Make a splash in an ad or newspaper supplement.

(Courtesy Bob Crelin, with amusement)

Bold suggestion…• Work with the

IDA to develop a sales-rack brochure.

Results so far?

Not good—they will not carry capped lights unless there is a local ordinance

i.e., no choice

Ordinance Efforts

Watauga County Pending ordinance

• a) All parking lot lighting will use full cutoff lighting fixtures

• b) Wall-packs and floodlights will be either full cutoff design or have shields such that they do not put any light above the horizon, and will be mounted to not shine on roadways and neighboring properties. Use of floodlights is discouraged.

• c) Typical pole-mounted "dusk-to-dawn" security lights will use reflecting "sky caps" instead of clear plastic refractors.

Watauga County Pending ordinance

• d) Building facade lighting shall not shine above the facades.

• e) Lighting levels for High-Impact developments only as defined by this ordinance should not be in excess of need. For buildings required by the NC Building Code to have plans prepared by a design professional, the lighting levels shall be determined as defined by the Recommended Practices of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, or other recognized lighting publication. It shall be assumed that all other buildings comply with the requirement by virtue of compliance with (a) through (d) of this section.

Watauga County Pending ordinance

• (f) Developers are encouraged to use timer and other controls to shut off lighting (other than security lighting) after business hours.

• (Sign up-lighting prohibition not included—they did not understand it.)

Will we have to drive for dark skies?

• (How about an IDA award for this?)

• What I tell amateurs

Or will it even come to this?

Concluding…

• Like the background that changed on this presentation, let’s make the orange glow of sodium vapor go away to leave a dark background sky.

• Thank you for your attention—I hope you have picked up an idea or two here. Tell me yours!

• Contact: Dan@Caton.name