Police are targeting street light thieves

POLICE are taking action in a bid to bring a halt to a spate of copper cable thefts from street lights in north Antrim.

There have now been five reported incidents of copper being stolen from street light cables in the Ballymoney and Moyle areas in the last two months.

It is believed the high price of scrap metal had led to thieves even risk electrocution to get their hands on copper.

And there are also concerns that local people's safety is being put in danger by street lights being left off before repairs can take place.

Previously copper was stolen from street lights in Ballymoney, Liscolman and Derrykeighan but it has now emerged that there have been two more thefts - this time in Cushendall and Loughgiel.

Police in Ballymoney released details of the Loughgiel theft this week but it is believed the theft of the quantity of underground cabling associated with street lights near Loughgiel Chapel on the Coolkeeran Road happened on Friday January 20.

Inspector David Anderson of Ballymoney PSNI said: "We have been encouraging our officers to stop and check out the bona fides of contractors working at street lights.

"This is to ensure thieves aren't posing as legitimate workers to access the cables.

"And we want to hear from anyone who sees anybody working at lights to get in touch with us if they see anything they think is suspicious around street lights, even during the daylight hours. They can phone us or Roads Service."

Sue-Ellen was practically born into the saddle and despite having a hereditary condition that will eventually leave her blind, she's competed in dressage events in both the Sydney and Atlanta Paralympics. She's also in the midst of preparation for her next competition in Orange, later this month.

"I have people standing at the white posts with big LED lights, I'm like a little white moth I fly to the light," said Sue-Ellen.

Sue-Ellen is helped out by a team of dedicated friends and family, including her beloved 22 year old former racehorse, Ko-Olina.

"He's amazing. Every time I think about it I could cry. He's like getting up of a morning and putting your good comfy woollen slippers on. He looks after me, he's kind, gentle - awesome to train and he makes me smile from the inside out," she said.

"Every time I get to ride that beautiful horse in a competition it's like 'wow, we did it again' and it's really very moving because I do have so little sight and that horse gives me wings. I'm so, so lucky."

NanoKTN calls for UK investment in thermoelectrics

The paper follows a workshop run by the NanoKTN to explore emerging technologies and opportunities in the development of next generation thermoelectric and thermionic devices. The event which sparked the report saw presentations from key industry players in industry and academia, highlighted the commercial potential in harvesting energy from waste heat, the significant barriers to increasing conversion efficiency and finding alternative, sustainable, thermoelectric materials.

Thermal energy harvesting represents a global 1billion industry for improved products in a range of markets and application scenarios. Despite the existing barriers to widespread adoption, the NanoKTN believes that nanotechnology offers the potential for new approaches and a paradigm shift in performance, through nanomaterials development, nanostructuring, nano and microelectronic devices and thin film technologies.

"The UK is uniquely positioned with leading players over the entire supply chain required to produce and deploy this new generation of energy system," said Dr Martin Kemp, theme manager at NanoKTN, pictured.

"To date, harvesting energy hasn't had that much attention but now this is changing as people relaise a huge amount of heat is being lost. Harvesting energy from wasted heat is both a technical and economic opportunity with the current global market of thermoelectric devices estimated to be around $300million. If the technical challenges can be overcome then the potential applications are extremely wide and the potential market would be many billions and we will fulfil the ambition to create more highly skilled jobs in science and engineering."

According to the NanoKTN, the market pull for harvesting waste recovery is growing, led primarily by the automotive sector. The paper concludes that significant new market opportunities would open up if a new generation of higher efficiency and more sustainable materials could be developed, for example in harvesting; automotive and HGV exhaust heat; solar thermal energy; high temperature industrial processes;, powering sensors and remote off grid domestic electricity generation. Since the heat already exists and is free, the cost payback time should be the key measure to evaluate these systems.

The position paper, which can be downloaded for free by members of the NanoKTN, makes four key recommendations for the UK covering strategic direction, research funding of technologies and applications, and networking. Currently, the major market pull for this technology is from the automotive industry, but other sectors such as space and the built environment may emerge as strong drivers.

Energy scavenging will also be important in miniaturised electronic devices such as MEMS and self powered sensor networks, and could feature as part of a combined heat and power system, with thermoelectric generators providing significant energy for domestic and commercial buildings.

Other key industries would be in power generation, either in using the sun's energy for domestic solar thermal and lighting systems, or harvesting the waste heat generated by power stations, or electronics and supercomputers.

Santa Cruz looks to retrofit two-thirds of streetlights: LED lights reduce energy use 70 percent

Using grants and special financing from PG&E, the city hopes within a few months to have replaced about two-thirds of streetlights with higher-efficiency, brighter LED bulbs to increase safety and cut energy use.

The city has replaced 242 lights since November 2010 along Ocean Street, Water Street, Morrissey Boulevard, Soquel Avenue and other corridors. The replacements, paid for by $150,000 in federal stimulus funding, represent about 14 percent of the 1,753 lights owned by the city.

Public Works officials have identified 350 lights in the Lower Ocean and Beach Flats areas for replacement, for which the city hopes to tap $180,000 in federal Housing and Urban Development funding. The city also wants to enter into a $250,000 financing agreement with PG&E to replace 500 other lights around town, with the loan to be repaid through future energy savings.

If those next two phases come to pass, replacements would total nearly 1,100 lights, or about 63 percent. As part of a separate Redevelopment Agency project, Pacific Avenue lights also were retrofitted recently.

Mark Dettle, director of the Public Works Department, said the motivation comes down to cutting costs and carbon emissions.

"Anything we can do to reduce that, we're all about," he said.

The city pays $450,000 per year on streetlight maintenance and related costs, Dettle said. LEDs, which are up to 70 percent more energy efficient and require replacement every five to 10 years compared to every one to two years, save the city 40 percent in costs compared to high-pressure sodium fluorescent bulbs, Dettle said.

Another benefit to using LEDs is their increased brightness, something Ocean Street neighbors have long desired as they continue to grapple with drug dealing, illegal camping and other problems.

"Anything that keeps that corridor illuminated and visible is a plus," said Regina Henderson, a 17-year resident who leads the Oceans 11 affiliate of Santa Cruz Neighbors.

The lighting project has largely focused on commercial corridors, though lights also have been replaced around the High and Spring street corridors on the Westside. Dettle said a lower-wattage light is used in neighborhoods.

The work, which involves switching the bulb and apparatus affixed to the pole, was performed by a contractor. No city funding has been used so far, and Dettle hopes to identify other grants to do the remaining third of city lights.

PG&E owns another 1,056 streetlights in town, but has not agreed to a retrofit pending a rate schedule change, Dettle said.

Santa Cruz isn't the only city changing its lights.

Starting with federal stimulus funds, Watsonville began installing LED lights in 2010 and expects to retrofit nearly all of the city's 2,400 lights by the end of the January using low-interest loans. On Thursday, the Capitola City Council will consider a plan to replace 71 lights through the PG&E financing program.

Excelitas Technologies Introduces Newest LED Fiber Optic Illuminator Module in XLM Series

Excelitas Technologies, a global technology leader focused on delivering innovative, customized optoelectronics to OEMs seeking high-performance technology solutions, introduced the latest LED Fiber Optic Illuminator Module in its XLM Series specifically designed for integration into OEM Medical device applications.

The new product, dubbed the XLM Plus, comes complete with electronics and communications interfaces and is suited to Endoscopy, Surgical Microscopy, and Headlamp applications.

The new XLM Plus LED Fiber Optic Light Module with Electronics offers light output that is comparable to 180 W Xenon sources, yet with the advantages of LED lighting, which include long life, less heat output than Xenon, and virtually no ultraviolet or infrared radiation, which eliminates the need for filtering. The XLM Plus LED Light Module is compliant with medical safety standards IEC/EN 60601-1 and EN60601-1-2.

The unit includes integrated electronic circuitry for safety alarms, error mode and power status indicators. It provides circuitry for connection to fiber safety interlocks. In the event a fiber is removed from the illuminator during use, the XLM Plus LED Fiber Optic Light Module can be immediately shut off, which is a unique safety feature for vision protection.

"Excelitas' XLM Plus LED Fiber Optic Light Module with Electronics is an important addition to our growing portfolio of solid state lighting products that are specifically designed for integration into OEM medical device applications," said Joel Falcone, senior vice president and general manager of Excelitas Technologies' global lighting business.

"Excelitas' XLM Plus delivers brilliant, uniform light for endoscopy, surgical microscopy, and headlamp applications, allowing doctors to better perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, with all the advantages of state-of-the-art LED lighting," Falcone added.

The XLM Plus operates on 12V DC or 24V DC input. Light intensity can be varied by constant current and/or by an internal or external Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal. PWM enables users to control light output while maintaining a stable Correlated Color Temperature.

In addition, the Module's RS-232 and auxiliary interfaces allow users to control the light source from a remote location and easily interface the light source with camera systems. Other product features include integrated thermal monitoring, variable speed fan, and over-temp protection. These features increase patient safety and aid in ensuring a long operational life, upon integration into a medical OEM's finished device.

The Model Number for the XLM Plus LED Fiber Optic Light Module with Electronics is OTFI-0275. Excelitas' XLM Series LED Fiber Optic Light Module without Electronics is Model Number, OTFI-0250. More information on the XLM Series of LED Fiber Optic Light Modules for Medical OEMs can be found on the Excelitas website.

Madison energy panel applies for grant to cut costs in 6 towns

The local energy committee is aiming to shed some light on regional energy savings.

Madison's energy committee told the Board of Selectmen recently that it is applying for a grant that could result in saving thousands of dollars per year in Madison and the five other towns involved in a regional energy savings effort by converting some town light fixtures to LED lighting.

The committee is in the process of applying for a $160,000 grant, funds that are remaining from the American Recovery Reinvestment Act. The grant would not be used for street lights, but other municipal light fixtures at town facilities and schools.

If the grant is approved, Madison, Guilford, Branford, Westbrook, Killingworth and Durham would save money because the continuous energy costs would be less, the bulbs have a much longer lifespan and pressure-based sensors could be installed to save energy further by allowing the lights to turn off when no one is on the property.

"These would be on instant-on so they could be used with a sensor system like the one that exists at (Madison's) high school, where the sensors are under the pavement," said local energy committee Chairman Woodie Weiss. He added that the pressure system isn't currently used because it isn't compatible with the fixtures.

Before the grant even became available, the idea to change town lighting regionally was discussed among the six towns after SourceOne, a Boston-based energy consulting firm working with the towns, suggested it as a cost-saving measure.

The LED project is just one of more than 100 energy conservation measures that SourceOne has identified over the past year and a half. If all of the measures were implemented, more than 10 percent of the six towns' total energy consumption cost could be saved per year ― more than the initial goal of 5 percent savings.

"The (LED project) savings are huge," said Weiss. "Frankly, this is a project we would have considered without a grant."

The project would save all six towns about $100,000 annually, with Madison netting about $22,000 in savings.

The grant would be distributed among the towns proportionately to the amount of town lighting they have, according to energy committee member Bill Gladstone.

He added that there would be some cost to the town because the intent is to apply for funds for fixtures, not installation, but Facilities Director Bill McMinn told him the installation costs wouldn't burden his budget.

"I think it's a great idea anytime we can use LEDs," said First Selectman Fillmore McPherson after Monday's meeting. "They are probably the way to the future in lighting, and this is a way for us to be on the forefront."

Gladstone said there is no timeline for the project, but if they receive the grant, the money has to be spent by June 30.

"We may start the process even before we are sure we are getting the grant because if we don't start, we won't be finished on time," he said. "Also, if we get the grant, it will be a demonstration and model of another regional effort that might prompt us to pursue other regional opportunities as they come up."