(TURGUT OZAL HIGH SCHOOL TIRANA)
ASEF 2022
Automatic streetlights
Kevin Kaçani
Dalin Goga
Tiranë
Abstract
In this research paper, we have investigated the negative impact that regular streetlights have on
the environment as well as how these effects could be minimized by automatic streetlights .With
the use of automatic streetlights, we can help tackle the problems of excessive carbon dioxide
emissions, energy waste and light pollution. Streetlights will be turned off during night hours by
default, when they are not of any need and, through the utilization of sensors, the streetlights will
be turned on when they sense a car, a bike or a pedestrian. The circuit used to build this idea
utilizes photoresistors, blinkers, an inverter and simple wiring. When the light from the blinker is
disrupted, the resistance from the photoresistors decreases, causing the lights to turn on. The long
lasting effects that this change will have on the environments that they are installed in are: less
wasted energy, less carbon dioxide emissions, which helps combat global warming as well as
climate change, less sleep problems in urbanized areas, less disruption in the wildlife near
streetlights and overall a healthier and less wasteful way of living.
Keywords: automatic streetlights, carbon dioxide, sensors, energy waste, light pollution.
Table of Contents
Abstract 3
Introduction. 5
Literature Review.. 6
Methods. 7
Results. 8
Discussion. 9
References. 10
Tables and/or Figures. 11
Appendix 12
Introduction
The topic we have chosen to present in this year’s ASEF is “Automatic streetlights”. A fuller
understanding of the problems at hand would be needed to know what we are dealing with.
Street lights are one of the major contributors to energy waste and carbon dioxide emissions.
According to our research, based on information previously gathered by experts, the energy
wasted per year globally is 175.95 terawatt hours. 15 million tons of CO2 are emitted yearly
through residential street lighting only as of 2016, and this number has been shown to have
gradually risen since then. In addition, another factor contributing to the harm dealt by wasteful
use of energy for street lighting is light pollution. Too much light disrupts the plants’ seasonal
rhythms, their ability to sense and react to natural light, and their fragile relationship with
pollinators as described in a study made by BBC in 2023. Light pollution also has an impact on
animals. According to a study made in 2016 regarding the effect of lighting on moths, it was
concluded that artificial light caused a significant increase in pollination of plants though moths
as well as a drastic decrease in the population of moths. This is just one of countless examples,
one that can be seen quite clearly, but many more are hidden beyond sight. Human sleep cycles
and mental health are negatively affected by light pollution. Excessive use of lighting near
heavily urbanized areas during the night disrupts the circadian rhythm and the production of
melanin. This makes you sleep deprived, fatigued, stressed, anxious, and even gives you cancer,
according to a study by National Geographic.
Literature Review
Based on prior research, it has been found that streetlights during night waste an estimated 25 -
30% of their energy. The situation worsens when considering that the energy consumption leads
to carbon emissions. 15 million tons of CO2 are emitted yearly through residential street lighting
only as of 2016, and this number has been shown to have gradually risen since then as per a
research. Another problem has been light pollution and its increasing impact, as cited in the BBC
study: “Light pollution already encompasses about a quarter of the planet and continues to
worsen, increasing by about 6% every year with growing urbanization“. Considering the impact
it has on the environment as further stated in the previously mentioned article, the condition of
the health of the animals around: “ It (light pollution) disrupts their seasonal rhythms, their
ability to sense and react to natural light, and their fragile relationship with pollinators… A
primary reason light pollution, or artificial light at night, impacts most living things on this
planet is that they have a circadian rhythm…” Light pollution also has an effect on people, as
said on a National Geographic research: “Circadian clock disruptions can also affect regulating
chemicals in humans, plants and animals, most notably melatonin, a molecule that is produced in
response to darkness and helps regulate the circadian rhythm… For humans, health impacts
include an increased risk of sleep disorders, diabetes, depression, heart conditions, and breast
cancer.”
Methods
The automatic street lights were designed with energy loss minimization and environmental
impact in mind. The lights detect the movement of cars, bikes, trucks from below and turn on
accordingly. The light nearest to the sensors turns on the brightest and the others gradually turn
brighter as the car approaches them. This means that the lights further from the car are dimmer
and the ones closer are brighter. This way, the lights also show the car the road in front,
preventing accidents. This circuit was carefully designed in order to be less disruptive for people
and wildlife, while also paying attention to and reducing its impact on people with poor vision or
epilepsy. The sensors used are photoresistors, having the value of their resistance adjusted by a
blinker, constantly projecting a ray of light into the former. When this ray of light is disrupted, a
decrease in the resistance value of the photoresistor occurs, causing the current to flow through
the circuit. This sensor was chosen because of its cost effectiveness, its ease of use and its
method of detection. The circuit requires the ray to be fully blocked in order to decrease the
resistance of the photoresistor, making it unaffected by insects and small animals that might
accidentally cross the blinker. What is also used in the circuit is an inverter, working similarly to
a not gate in binary, making voltage output inversely proportional to voltage input.
Results
Large scale implementation of our project will lead to lesser problems related to light
pollution and in some cases will fully mitigate them. The production of melanin is related
to the exposure of the human body to sunlight. A decrease in the brightness of the
environment during nighttime will cause a spike in the production of melatonin in most
people. Also, the carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by a minimum of 7%, as a
direct consequence of the reduced usage of energy. Energy wastage will also be almost
completely gone, as the sensors would not allow the streetlights to turn on without prior
passage of an animal, pedestrian or vehicle.
Discussion
With the reduction of light pollution, we will see a drastic increase in the betterment of the
mental health of the population previously affected by this problem. A betterment in sleep
quality also means a more prepared and mentally active community, ready to contribute to work.
It means more money for the government to be used in other fields that would have otherwise
been wasted on keeping streetlights on, a decrease in the amount of carbon dioxide in the air
which will lead to a slight regeneration of the ozone layer, and generally cleaner urban airspaces.
References
Hirschlag, A. (2023, March 9). How light pollution disrupts plants' senses. BBC.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230308-how-light-pollution-disrupts-plants-senses
Light pollution. (n.d.). https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/light-pollution/
Macgregor, C. J., Evans, D. M., Fox, R., & Pocock, M. J. O. (2016). The dark side of street
lighting: impacts on moths and evidence for the disruption of nocturnal pollen transport. Global
Change Biology, 23(2), 697–707. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13371
Masters-Israilov, A., P, S. R., I-Perumal, Seixas, A., Jean-Louis, G., & McFarlane, S. I.
(2015). Melatonin, the hormone of darkness: From sleep promotion to Ebola treatment.
Brain Disorders & Therapy, 04(01). https://doi.org/10.4172/2168-975x.1000151
Staff. (2023, August 24). 15 million tons of carbon dioxide emitted each year on
residential outdoor lighting in the U.S. DarkSky International.
https://darksky.org/news/15-million-tons-of-carbon-dioxide-emitted-each-year-on-
residential-outdoor-lighting-in-the-u-s/
Subramani, C., Surya, S. M., Gowtham, J., Chari, R., Srinivasan, S., Siddharth, J. P., &
Shrimali, H. (2019). Energy efficiency and pay-back calculation on street lighting
systems. AIP Conference Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5112267
Tables and/or Figures
