The operation of urban lighting systems today involves the search for new solutions aimed at reducing their costs and improving the safety and comfort of all users of this infrastructure. The previously well-performing lighting systems based on traditional light sources - i.e., high-pressure sodium lamps - have been subject to changes brought about by the introduction of the second stage of Commission Regulation (EC) No 245/2009 on April 13, 2012, which restricts the placing on the market of standard sodium lamps. To meet the new requirements, manufacturers of light sources are forced to modify their offerings, withdrawing ordinary sodium lamps and replacing them with lamps of higher luminous efficacy.
Against this background, a certain novelty is the proposal from Fabryka Żarówek HELIOS Sp. z o.o., which, in addition to sodium lamps with enhanced durability and luminous flux parameters (WLS City), offers sodium lamps with a double arc tube (WLS DJ City). Thanks to this design, these lamps are characterized by a higher luminous flux compared to standard sodium lamps, and their lifespan is almost doubled, reaching over 60,000 operating hours. An additional advantage of double arc tube lamps is their ability for hot restart. Road users will appreciate this, as in the event of a lighting failure and the subsequent reappearance of power, traditional sodium lamps need several minutes to re-ignite. WLS DJ City lamps, on the other hand, light up immediately, as their arc tubes operate alternately. These features ensure that the operation of road lighting in cities and on high-traffic roads becomes significantly less expensive, and also provides greater safety for road users.
Double arc tube lamps can operate in traditional luminaires with equipment designed for ordinary sodium sources, so there is no need for additional investment in new luminaires. Importantly, WLS DJ City HELIOS lamps, tested in operational conditions on high-traffic roads, received very positive evaluations from energy services in various regions of the country. This proves that they are the best solution for the transitional period when LED-based lighting systems do not yet allow for their widespread use, but we want to achieve significant savings in the operating costs of urban and road lighting.
