Have you ever walked down a street when, suddenly, the light above you turns off?  Have you driven past an empty parking lot or garage late at night and questioned why we brightly light many of these unoccupied spaces?  Recently, the California Energy Commission funded the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) at the University of California, Davis, to explore the many opportunities for  improving existing exterior lighting practices through the implementation of emerging technologies. 

The initial research was conducted in collaboration with industry partners, public utilities, the university of California and California State University. Based on feedback from these stakeholders, the areas of interest regarding exterior lighting were identified as safety, light pollution, maintenance and energy efficiency. The research focused on addressing these issues through the implementation of three main technologies: pulse-start metal halide lamps with magnetic ballast; fluorescent induction lamps; and LED technology. These three technologies offer the option of using bi-level occupancy controls, which is a key area of the study.