Brazil will have new regulations for public lighting

NBR 5101, ABNT, is being revised in committee to study implementation of illumination and photometric measurement. Goal is to update the rules for the current conditions of the Brazilian Traffic Code and world standards.

With delay of eight years, the country must make a revision of its standard of street lighting. NBR 5101, prepared by the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT), is being reviewed by the committee studies and photometric illumination application. The aim of the review is to update the rules for the current conditions of the Brazilian Traffic Code and the current world standards. The NBR was published in 5101 and 1992 should have been revised 10 years later, but some attempts have not progressed.

Work resumed in 2008 and now studies are entering the homestretch. The perspective is to put the new draft for public consultation later this semester and edit the new parameters this year. "The work has been moving fast. We are revising some of the points provided for the review, "said Marcel Siqueira da Costa, head of energy efficiency in lighting and signaling traffic lights to Procel / Reluz .

The early work was based on a study of the Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS) made for the National Program for Efficient Public Lighting (Reluz) Eletrobras in 2006. "We found that there was very low standards of energy efficiency in public lighting in the survey conducted in 14 cities," said Luciano Rosito, coordinator of the lighting of the Laboratory Specializing in Electrical / Electronic (lip) of the PUC and secretary of the commission of the ABNT.

According Rosito, the new NBR 5101, which could earn different name, will introduce the concept of luminance on public roads in the country. Already widely used abroad, the concept is to calculate the quality of lighting on the road. "This is the amount of light that matters. Is that reaches the eyes of people, "said the coordinator of the lip. He said that currently it takes into account the illumination, which is the amount of light reaching the ground.

This new approach changes the design of street lighting to the extent that the criterion of luminance requires more energy-efficient products. "They will use more energy-efficient products, with better illumination distribution, tending to reduce consumption," enumerated Rosito. Moreover, with the adaptation to the Brazilian Traffic Code, the measures may be better suited to inland Brazil. Currently, the standard takes into consideration American names.

The experts also stressed in an interview with Procel Info Portal, the new NBR 5101 will also consider the lighting on the sidewalks, giving priority to pedestrians. "Trying to make a standard also focuses on pedestrian lighting. We were focusing only on roads for cars. And even we are thinking of acessebilidade elderly or physically disabled, "said Smith, Procel / Reluz.

With the expected changes, new technologies should come with more strength in the market due to the need for greater energy efficiency. Rosito noted that the NBR will not predict 5101 levels of consumption reduction, but with the new rules, she will follow. Marcel Smith, Procel / Reluz, however, do not bet, for example, light emitting diode (LED). This is because the economic cost is still too high and the product has not yet proved effective in street lighting.

"There are a lot of discussion currently on the LED. We are doing research work in Cepel. It is a promising product that has performance problems, "said Smith, adding that sodium lamps are still the best option. He said the main problem cited is the durability, ie the lifetime of the product.

Source: Alexander Canazio