Turning On Toronto

As you know, IT loves its lights. So we proudly introduce you to Toronto's CN Tower, which now lights up in many colors and uses LED technology (Light Emitting Diodes), creating these lighting effects that use 10% less energy than the old lighting system. The new display was inaugurated on June 28 and has been treating Toronto residents and visitors to a different light show every night. Each lighting fixture can produce 16.7 million color combinations, all controlled digitally from a single computer console. The best part? The lighting effects are not stationary, but pulse and flow and zoom, as you can see in this YouTube video.  The LED bulbs are expected to last ten years, which means less maintenance and fewer bulbs used. Another plus? The lighting will be dimmed during spring and fall bird migration seasons—the CN Tower has been a longstanding participant in this volunteer-run program that encourages buildings to dim unnecessary exterior lighting to mitigate bird mortality during spring and fall bird migration.

P.S. IT's in love.

*Photo by Photosapience

Comments

[Amanda]

I don't think this new move by Toronto should be proudly celebrated by claiming a "green" status. Even if the CN Tower is lit with LED technology that uses 10% less energy than older technology, the fact still remains that the lights are using 90% more energy than what was there before: nothing.

[Marilyn Terrell]

You make a good point about lighting vs not lighting the tower. Here's a little background. The CN Tower was opened to the public in 1976. Back then, people weren't worried about global warming; in fact, in 1975, Newsweek ran a cover story about the possibility of global cooling: http://denisdutton.com/cooling_world.htm

The tower was originally lit with incandescent bulbs the size of washing machines, but these bulbs were removed in 1997 because they were inefficient and expensive to repair. So for 10 years the tower was dimly lit, until Toronto could come up with a more efficient way to light it. Tiny LEDs were the answer, and they are 10% more energy efficient than the dim lighting, and actually 60% more efficient than the original incandescent lights. Recognizing that cities around the world light up their skylines (have you seen Hong Kong lately?), IT gives Toronto credit for finding a more energy efficient way to do it, and we're hoping they point the way for other cities to save energy without going totally dark.
IT's interested in what other readers think. Should the CN Tower be condemned or commended on their new lighting system?