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LIGHTING
DALI PAVING THE WAY FOR THE FUTURE Sustainability across the electrical sector continues to be a key focus, with lighting playing an important role. In order to achieve a lower carbon society, it is important to look at what can be achieved now, as well as future-proofing. This will ensure opportunities can be seized when the time is right. Tim Whitaker from the DALI Alliance tells us more.
T
here are many driving forces for sustainability across the lighting industry. First and foremost is the need to address environmental issues, which are closely linked to social responsibility. This leads to the introduction of legislation and compliance requirements, focused on achieving a more environmentally sound future. Another factor is the move towards a circular economy. This has garnered wide-reaching support, including a policy and regulatory framework in the European
Union. A circular economy approach aims to ensure products can be reused, refurbished, upgraded and recycled, rather than simply disposed of when they no longer work or stop being fit for purpose. When we look at lighting control, it is easy to see the role this can play in achieving better sustainability. LED light sources, alongside simple control techniques such as switching and dimming, have been a great starting point. Building on this, the use of sophisticated lighting control systems, enabled for example by DALI, has further leveraged these gains. An effective approach is to introduce an automated DALI lighting control system with sensors that detect occupancy, movement and daylight levels. This eliminates the unnecessary use of lighting when a space is not being used. When detecting presence and movement using a PIR sensor, the system responds by turning lights on and off as required, reducing energy usage. With regard to daylight levels, light level sensors inform the system how much natural light is available in a particular location, and the artificial lighting levels can then be increased or decreased accordingly. A more sophisticated lighting control system, with increasing functionality and intelligence, results in greater energy savings. One of DALI’s roles is to standardise the functionality of input devices that provide information to the system, such as switches, sliders and push-button devices. Turning our attention to future-proofing, DALI has a clear role in the circular economy, given its status as a globally standardised protocol. Rather than being a temporary solution or a fast-changing trend, the DALI protocol has been around for decades, supported by all major players in the lighting industry. The DALI-2 certification programme, which has been developed and maintained by the DALI Alliance, has created an ecosystem of interoperable products from multiple vendors. This
ensures the long-term availability of compatible components. It also removes issues associated with vendor lock-in and reliance on proprietary solutions that may become obsolete in the future. Bolstering this further, DALI-2 provides backwards compatibility with earlier product generations. By its very nature, DALI is a flexible solution that lends itself to future-proof designs that extend the useful life of a lighting control system. Changes to the design of a DALI system and how it is operated can often be dealt with by software reprogramming, rather than having to rewire or replace luminaires and other equipment. This could, for example, allow the operator of a commercial building to easily change the layout of a space to accommodate new tenants. At the luminaire level, future-proofing is enabled by the Zhaga-D4i connector system, which facilitates the plug and play replacement of luminaire-mounted sensors and communication nodes. Zhaga-D4i combines the standardised mechanical interface from the Zhaga Consortium, with the communication and power requirements specified by the DALI Alliance as part of the D4i certification program. Zhaga-D4i certification has enabled an ecosystem of interoperable luminaires and control devices. This allows luminaire owners to easily update their fixtures, protect their investment, sustainably extend the life of the luminaire, and keep pace with fast-moving developments. DALI can clearly demonstrate its benefits with regard to enhancing sustainability, reducing energy consumption, and paving the way for the future. As a global industry organisation focused on standardisation and market acceptance, the DALI Alliance also enables the broad adoption, scale and technology leadership that is needed to keep driving energy usage down and promoting sustainable lighting solutions. DALI Alliance, dali-alliance.org
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