Exterior lighting, predominantly powered by carbon-intensive fossil fuels during high residential usage hours, poses environmental and safety challenges when power outages leave communities in darkness for extended periods. In response, the California Energy Commission funded a sustainable exterior lighting initiative at the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) at the University of California, Davis to develop and demonstrate Renewable Energy and Advanced Lighting (REAL) systems.
Community engagement is central to this sustainable exterior lighting initiative as the research team focuses on developing inclusive, community-oriented relighting strategies. From September 2022 to January 2024, CLTC partnered with community-based organizations to gather valuable feedback through community surveys to understand existing exterior lighting conditions at each demonstration site. This data plays a crucial role in shaping the design of the new REAL lighting systems.
To learn more read CLTC's June 2024 Research article published in IES LD+A.