George Harvey
We read by lights and we work by lights, but we also have special lights for other purposes. There are special lights for refrigerators and ovens. We have lights to control bugs on our lawns, so we can sit under them on summer evenings. We may be aware of the varied purposes, because we buy them to use, but what do we really know about lights?
Lights have been changing through the years. Fluorescent lights are far more efficient than the old incandescent bulbs. But fluorescent lights have their drawbacks, and they are getting obsolete. It has been a long time since we started replacing them all with the even more efficient LEDs. And LEDs are improvements in other ways, notably by not containing mercury.
In December, we received a note from Ultra-Tech™ Lighting, explaining the advantagess of lights even more advanced than LEDs specifically to illuminate ice rinks. The note came a little too late in the season to use it in our December issue, because by that time of year decisions about lighting at most rinks had already been made. We might revisit the idea next August, but in the meantime, we got curious and decided to look into the company and its other offerings. After all, if it is making special lights to use for ice rinks, what other kinds of lights might it have for sale? We were amazed at what we found.
Ultra-Tech uses a technology called “induction lighting.” An example product lines is Office-Bright™. Another is Work-Bright™. Apparently, the needs for office workers and other workers are not the same so they have a product line for each. We might think that the needs for offices and schools are pretty much the same, but Ultra-Tech developed lights for schools separately, School-Bright™. And as though this were not enough, it has a separate product line of Gym-Bright™, which might also be used in schools.
There are products specifically for transportation. One is Street-Bright™, and another is Tunnel-Bright™. A bit more surprising is Port-Bright™, specifically for use in ocean shipping ports. We pause on that to see why ports were singled out. It turns out that lighting for ports has several special requirements, one of which can be used to illustrate the need for special lighting. It seems that the lights for ports must be designed not to confuse sea-turtles. Some of these are endangered species, and thoughtless use of lighting is likely to make it very difficult for the females to find places to make their nests. That is not the only reason for special lighting in ports, but it should be enough.
There are specialty product lines for artists and people interested in jewelry, Art-Bright™ and Gem-Bright™. Here again, it is clear why special lights are needed. To be seen properly, paintings must be properly lighted. But as they are exposed to ultraviolet light, they fade. Historically, this meant that paintings had to be placed where sunlight could give them its perfect color, but they had to be kept away from windows so they would not be damaged. Showing paintings can be tricky, but Art-Bright lighting makes it relatively easy.
One other product relates to ultraviolet light. It is Sterile-Bright, whose light kills many pathogens, a valuable feature in times of pandemic.
Five product lines relate to sports. They are for snow sports, golf, equine sports, skating, and field sports. Other, special products include lighting for freezers and for car lots.
One of the most important uses of induction lighting is growing plants. Grow-Bright™ lights are for use in greenhouses and other horticultural situations. A 150-watt light from Ultra-Tech can replace 500 or 600 watts of earlier lighting types with light that is better for the plants. The Grow-Bright light is fine-tuned to promote photosynthesis, and the low energy consumption means less heat is given off. The lights from Ultra-Tech are expected to last for 100,000 hours, which is well over eleven years of continuous lighting. And for those who are interested, there is a special grow light, Hemp-Bright™, for encouraging production of the fatty acids associated with THC potency.
Ultra-Tech Lighting’s web site is ultratechlighting.com.
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