EnviroLux Energy Systems Launches Knight Guard Circuit Board Designs to Combat Light Pollution

NASA first approached EnviroLux Energy Systems in 2015 to develop an Amber LED light source to replace their incumbent Low Pressure Sodium light sources.  Since 2015, EnviroLux has steadily been developing new LED light sources that produce less than 2 percent blue light, that are safe for wildlife, but are also highly efficient for the human eye and security cameras to properly disseminate their surroundings at night.

Across the USA mainland, and Hawaii, communities are grappling with how to reduce the impact of artificial light at night.  94 percent of all LED lighting installed in the USA are imported from China and contain approximately 50 percent Blue Light content.   Scientific studies have shown that high levels of blue light content adversely affect wildlife, such as birds, insects, and turtles; disrupt the human circadian rhythm at night; and increase glare, which compromises visual acuity for motorists and pedestrians alike.

Municipalities, states, and governments are addressing the issues of this Blue Light pollution and how it impacts wildlife with lighting ordinances that proscribe both the design of LED light fixtures and the nature of the light that they emit.  Maui, Hawaii, for example, has a new ordinance that limits Blue Light content in outdoor lighting to less than 2%.  The ordinance went into effect July 1, 2023.  Additional efforts and mandates are underway in many other geographical areas of the United States which legislation will pass soon.  

Blue light content is a critical factor in assessing the harm from night-time illumination.  Blue light scatters more than other wavelengths which increases light pollution and glare, and it has significant impacts on the circadian rhythms and behaviors of humans, plants, and wildlife.  This is why it is a particular focus of attention.

Though LEDs are often quickly – and incorrectly – identified as ‘the problem’, LEDs with correlated color temperatures of approximately 2200K – 2700K have similar levels of blue light content compared to incumbent technologies such as Metal Halide, HPS or Low Pressure Sodium.

EnviroLux outdoor LED area lights, utilizing EnviroLux Knight Guard LED light engine technology, Made in the USA, are the first white light LED area lights to significantly reduce the percent of blue content between 400nm and 500nm to less than 2%.  Through thoughtful EnviroLux Knight Guard circuit board design, and luminaire lighting designs that do not over illuminate Blue Light, it is now possible to START with the right LED light for night-time illumination.