Lamps of the Past
Street lamps are probably one of the most commonly used street furniture since the old times. Primarily used as sources of light during the night and as aesthetic fittings to improve the beauty of street lanes, lamp posts have already undergone different modifications so that they can follow the trend and be with the development of our technology. Street lamps are one of the street fixtures that have been widely used since the early centuries that is why they can also serve as good memoirs of our history. Before the invention of the incandescent lamps, lamps that use gas lighting are the lights usually used in cities. The first lamps that use electricity were invented by Russian Pavel Yablochvov in 1875 and were called arc lamps or electric candles. These lamps use carbon and an alternating current that consumes electrodes at equal rates to give off light. Despite being useful during those times, the arc lights had some disadvantages like giving off too bright lights that are not fit for normal streets. Also, they are not environment-friendly and require intensive maintenance due to the carbon electrodes that they burn at a fast rate. By the end of the 19th century, they were only installed only near industrial establishments and were replaced by incandescent lights for street use.
Incandescent lamps were the major street furniture used for lighting purposes until the development of the high-density discharge lamps. This lamp type is operated through high-voltage series of circuits. Series circuits are commonly used for fixtures that require high voltage due to their high production of light for every watt they consume. Before the invention of the photoelectric controls, all lamp posts located on districts are controlled just by one switch. In order to avoid instances of having a black out when one lamp burns out, each street lamp was installed with a special device that protects the circuit to make sure that connection stays intact. Incandescent lamps before were also equipped with isolation transformers that allow the electrical current to travel to the transformers even though the bulb is burned out.
Modern Street Lamps
Nowadays, street furniture such as the high-intensity discharge lamps and high pressure sodium lamps (HPS) can give the street illumination which some people call it photopic illumination. However, there are some studies that say lamps using photopic light provide inappropriate amounts of light needed for night lighting. Other people say that the normal white light are more appropriate because they can double the peripheral vision of the motorists and also increase their brake reaction time to approximately 25%. If these lamps will be installed proportionally it means that the HPS lamps illumination can be reduced to at least 75% to create the right balance of light. Other new street lamps now use other technologies like the induction lights and LED while some lamps are powered by solar power. Some inventions now even possess light-sensitive photocells so that they will only light up during the night and therefore can save more energy.
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