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August 13th, 2014

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Engineers believe that a park in Albertslund in Greater Copenhagen, which is opening on Monday August 18, will enable them to test new streelights that could significantly cut the six percent of global greenhouse emissions they are responsible for worldwide, reports New Scientist.

The Danish Outdoor Lighting Lab (DOLL) will allow engineers to experiment with different lights and chart their impact. The lab is part of a long-term project for Copenhagen, as they hope to install the most successful light all over the city to help achieve their aim of becoming carbon-neutral by 2025.

Lining 9.2km of road
Hundreds of streetlights from different companies will be erected along 9.2 km of road in the Albertslund park. They will each have their own IP addresses so that they can be monitored remotely.

The lights all have different functions with one company testing streetlights that adjust their brightness based on movements nearby. For example, the Technical University in Denmark will  be trying out CopenHybrid – a streetlight that is powered by wind and solar energy.

There will also be a number of sensors placed in the park that measure the exact conditions the lights operate in so their efficiency can be recorded.

A revolution in lighting
The general manager of DOLL, Flemming Madsen, told New Scientist that “we are an instrument of the green transition” as the project can help other city officials to see how to reduce their emissions using sample data.

Robert Karlicek, the head of Smart Lighting Engineering Research Centre in New York, believes smart lighting will implicate other areas than lighting.

“If a street lamp senses a sudden rush of people in an area that’s usually deserted at night, police could be tipped off to go check the area out,” he told New Scientist.