UEFA European Football Championship Host Arenas Outfitted with LED Lights

UEFA European Football Championship Host Arenas Outfitted with LED Lights

About three or four years ago, the racetrack that holds the Kentucky Derby every year tested out night racing.  They brought in several portable stadium lights, and after a handful of successful nighttime events, they decided to make the lights permanent.  Sadly, I don’t believe they are LED.  But many sports arenas and stadiums are making the switch.  They generally start with the parking lots, as most other businesses do, but as they realize the many benefits, they upgrade the in-stadium lighting as well.  This post is about several that have recently decided to make the switch, with the help of Philips.

The Olympics aren’t there this year, but the Olympic stadium in Kiev, Ukraine is getting an LED makeover.  Philips is installing LED lights at several soccer stadiums in Ukraine and Poland, including the Donbass and Kharkiv Arenas and the Metalist stadium in Ukraine and Poznan City and Municipal stadiums in Poland.  But some will be hosting matches for the biennial UEFA European Football Championship going on right now.

The stadiums made the change not only for the energy-efficiency, but for the comfort of players, in-stadium spectators and at-home TV viewers and enhancing the entire experience of a match.  Philips says the innovative and unobtrusive lighting also helps players and officials deliver their best performance – one without irritation from a harsh glare of traditional stadium lights.  Philips also says the lighting also enhances high-definition television quality for a better at-home viewing experience.

The new ArenaVision floodlights include pitch and façade lighting for six of the eight stadiums that will be hosting matches.  The largest stadium to receive the lighting is the Olympic stadium in Kiev, which boasts seating for 60,000 spectators.  The custom Philips system in place there includes 608 ArenaVision sport floodlights.  It also combines functional and decorative lighting to create a “ring of fire” on the stadium’s roof edge.

Philips also performed lighting calculations and reconciled power and control systems for best usage.  The company has supervised the installation as well, including the targeting, commissioning works and lighting design measurements in cooperation with partner organizations.

The stadium in Poznan, Poland was the first of the host arenas in that country to be completed.  A total of 195 Philips LED projectors, a control system and software, were installed outside the stadium to create dynamic, colored lighting for the building façade which will allow for various color patterns and designs.

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/philips-lights-up-main-european-football-stadiums-2012-06-08