rehan333
BIOL394Photo 1
Rehan Khan. BIOL394Photo1.
This photo was taken along a lake walk near the Four Lakes apartment complex in Lisle, Illinois. Aside from the many recycling bins and signs that encourage catch and release fishing throughout the park, the most ecologically beneficial component I found was the numerous lamp fixtures. The lamp fixtures that line the majority of this pathway are powered entirely through solar energy. Solar panels by now are arguably a well known piece of technology that most shy away from adopting due to their high initial cost. However, we know that since the energy is free and renewable, the money saved over time makes up for the high initial buy in. I surprised to see this park clearly promoting an eco friendly environment which serves as a natural haven for the surrounding apartment complex and local residents alike. At first glance, these lamps don’t appear to be solar paneled as the panels are not immediately visible. However, if one were to peek behind the tree line to right, an array of solar panels close to the ground and out of sight would be visible. Concealing these panels behind the tree line makes sense as to prevent patrons for tampering or possibly destroying the panels. Also, during the summer when the tree foliage thickens, the canopy blocks out a majority of sunlight from reaching the lamps themselves. The panels are also placed in such a way that when the sun rises from the East, there is an unobstructed stream of sunlight reaching these panels and charging them for the day. This allows the lamps to run throughout the night without any issue and is ideal in handling the high amount of foot traffic this pathway receives in the spring and summer months. An additional benefit to these lamp fixtures is that they use LED light bulbs instead of fluorescent or incandescent bulbs. LED light bulbs are 80% more efficient than fluorescent or incandescent light bulbs, and have a 95% energy to light conversion rate in which only 5% of the energy is expended as heat. It would take an 84 watt fluorescent bulb to produce the same amount of light as an 36 watt LED bulb. LED bulbs also benefit from being manufactured without any toxic chemicals or materials. The same cannot be said for the traditional flourescent bulb that uses highly toxic elements such as Mercury. This makes disposing of these bulbs easier as contacting a registered waste carrier is not required as there are no toxic elements. LED bulbs also last about five times longer than other types of bulbs which makes them more cost effective, efficient, and easier to dispose of. Not to mention, these bulbs benefit from producing more natural and overall aesthetically pleasing light palate without imposing a specific color on the object they are illuminating. This is unlike the fluorescent bulb and the popular sodium bulbs that are known for giving Chicago its distinctive orange color. I would love to see more local parks make the switch over to solar powered LED lamps.
BIOL394Photo 1
Rehan Khan. BIOL394Photo1.
This photo was taken along a lake walk near the Four Lakes apartment complex in Lisle, Illinois. Aside from the many recycling bins and signs that encourage catch and release fishing throughout the park, the most ecologically beneficial component I found was the numerous lamp fixtures. The lamp fixtures that line the majority of this pathway are powered entirely through solar energy. Solar panels by now are arguably a well known piece of technology that most shy away from adopting due to their high initial cost. However, we know that since the energy is free and renewable, the money saved over time makes up for the high initial buy in. I surprised to see this park clearly promoting an eco friendly environment which serves as a natural haven for the surrounding apartment complex and local residents alike. At first glance, these lamps don’t appear to be solar paneled as the panels are not immediately visible. However, if one were to peek behind the tree line to right, an array of solar panels close to the ground and out of sight would be visible. Concealing these panels behind the tree line makes sense as to prevent patrons for tampering or possibly destroying the panels. Also, during the summer when the tree foliage thickens, the canopy blocks out a majority of sunlight from reaching the lamps themselves. The panels are also placed in such a way that when the sun rises from the East, there is an unobstructed stream of sunlight reaching these panels and charging them for the day. This allows the lamps to run throughout the night without any issue and is ideal in handling the high amount of foot traffic this pathway receives in the spring and summer months. An additional benefit to these lamp fixtures is that they use LED light bulbs instead of fluorescent or incandescent bulbs. LED light bulbs are 80% more efficient than fluorescent or incandescent light bulbs, and have a 95% energy to light conversion rate in which only 5% of the energy is expended as heat. It would take an 84 watt fluorescent bulb to produce the same amount of light as an 36 watt LED bulb. LED bulbs also benefit from being manufactured without any toxic chemicals or materials. The same cannot be said for the traditional flourescent bulb that uses highly toxic elements such as Mercury. This makes disposing of these bulbs easier as contacting a registered waste carrier is not required as there are no toxic elements. LED bulbs also last about five times longer than other types of bulbs which makes them more cost effective, efficient, and easier to dispose of. Not to mention, these bulbs benefit from producing more natural and overall aesthetically pleasing light palate without imposing a specific color on the object they are illuminating. This is unlike the fluorescent bulb and the popular sodium bulbs that are known for giving Chicago its distinctive orange color. I would love to see more local parks make the switch over to solar powered LED lamps.