Norway is looking to save energy by using state-of-the-art technology to automatically dim street lights when they are not in use.
The energy-saving lights were installed along an eight-kilometre stretch of highway near Oslo.
The auto-dimming street lamps are part of a national initiative that began in the early 2000s to retrofit infrastructure across the country with “intelligent lighting” systems, which aims to slash energy consumption and reduce Norway‘s carbon footprint.
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Approaching cars, bicycles and pedestrians trigger radar sensors attached to the 220 lamp posts, causing the LED lamps to suddenly illuminate to 100 per cent brightness.
But when the roadway is empty, the lights dim to about 20 per cent brightness.
The energy-saving lights are expected to cut 2,100 kWH of usage per week. That’s more than the total amount of energy used by two Canadian households in a year.
The government estimates the energy savings could pay for the cost of the project in less than five years.
Beyond energy conservation, the initiative also drastically cuts unnecessary light pollution.
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