Outdoor Lighting Test Center

The outdoor lighting test center at the SITECO factory in Traunreut, Germany is something special. There are only two installations of this kind in the world. Around 75 tests and presentations take place here annually, and approximately 2.500 visitors come to the lighting test center each year.

The demonstrations are usually frequented by representatives of local authorities or utility companies, seeking information on cost savings, safety enhancements and aesthetically pleasing street lighting. However, others such as TÜV, DEKRA (German safety testing institutions), the police and the Federal Supreme Court have taken part in the events.
During daytime, the area looks like a loading dock. Four overhead portals / cranes line the street. Many different outdoor luminaires are installed on the vertical lift beams of the portals. The presentations begin when darkness falls.

Neighbouring the large OSRAM plant and the BSHG BOSCH-SIEMENS-HAUSGERÄTE factory in Traunreut´s industrial area, the test road takes pride of place between SITECO´s Light Innovation Center (after 35year of service, a new one is currently being built) and its headquarter building.

Tonight´s first setting: standard fluorescent lights - - still installed in many municipalities - - throw their dim light onto the street. An automobile drives up. The headlights dazzle. The child (a cardboard model) next to the automobile is hardly visible. The lighting is changed. Modern luminaires with multi-faceted reflector optics and metal halide lamps illuminate the scene. A murmur passes through the rows of observers – the difference is obvious.

Several other scenarios follow. Today´s demonstration, which was preceded by a presentation on the principles of lighting technology, lasts about an hour. At the end, the visitors have experienced what no 3D computer simulation can provide: variations in illumination subjected to direct and graphic comparison under real conditions. The events at the lighting test road are a valuable assistance in reaching a decision that could not otherwise be made.

In the past, only economic considerations, reliability and ease of maintenance were of importance. Today, spill light, glare and upward light emission issues are becoming more important than ever. The amount of light emitted upwards into the hemisphere is to be kept to an absolute minimum. To this end, SITECO designs outdoor luminaires to the recommendations proposed by the "International Dark-Sky Association".