The Guide On Cricket Stadium Lighting
An excellent cricket stadium lighting project includes not only the clearest photometric design that can show the best lighting results, but also the best installation of LED flood lights at high points.
Some of the most common projects include replacing the cricket field lighting system, installing and changing the lighting design. Cricket can be played outdoors or indoors as a game or training in the netted areas. Both settings require a higher level of illumination so that players, spectators and coaches can safely follow the player's action and the fast movements of the ball.
1. The importance of cricket lighting
Sometimes cricket can move at very high speeds, which requires the players to react at a closer distance. All the stages of the game must be clearly visible. For example, the batsman must clearly see the running, the bowler's arm movements and the ball's transmission, in the meanwhile, the fielders and the bowler should also see the batsman, wicket and the ball's flight clearly throughout the match.
Gymnasiums and stadiums have a strong preference for natural daylight. In this way, careful shading and proper coordination of light with the play areas is important to ensure uniform light distribution and to avoid the direct sunlight. And the artificial lighting should produce conditions similar to the natural daylight. So the cricket stadium managers achieve this by using many fluorescent lights mounted on the high poles. On the one hand, they can choose to run the lights in parallel on both sides of the wicket to ensure they are in line with the playing direction. On the other hand, they can also choose to install them horizontally for screening to prevent the batter's line of sight.
A light with a diffuse that provides a lower glare level can help control glare. The ceiling with light color can also reduce the contrast of brightness, which helps in the reduction of glare. Careful coordination of the lighting positions, net tracks, heating system and the wicket can help eliminate shadows and promote uniform light distribution.
2. Advantages & Disadvantages of Metal Halide Lights
Metal halide lamps are high intensity discharge lamps that provide very bright light with white and blue spectrum. Since the early 1960s, metal halide lamps have been widely used in retail stores and sports fields because they can produce very bright white light and high luminous efficiency and have long lifespan, making them a popular choice for many years. But metal halide lamps also have many drawbacks.
Here are the common problems of metal halide lamps.
1) Longer warm-up time
After turning on the metal halide lamps, they take a long time to warm up. These lights can take from 15 minutes to 30 minutes to achieve full brightness.
2) Longer cooling time
If someone disconnects the lights from the power switch, they will automatically turn off and take 5-10 minutes to restart.
3) Color shift
This is the most common problem with halogen lamps. As they age, the light will be uneven.
4) Arc tube rupture
Metal halides contain arc tubes that degrade as the lamp ages. They begin to fade and produce more heat, which will cause them to rupture.
5) They contain mercury
Even if the mercury content is small, it is also toxic. The disposal processing of these lamps is very complicated.
6) Ultraviolet radiation
The bulb is turned on immediately, producing UV (ultraviolet) radiation. Exposure to radiation can lead to premature aging and the risk of skin cancer and cataracts.
These shortcomings make it hard to have an advantage in international competitions. For example, in previous Super Bowl Sunday competition, there was a blackout when the game was going on and this Superdome Stadium used metal halide lamps at that time. Even if the professional technicians restored the power immediately, the metal halide lamps would take up to 30 minutes warm up and the game could not continue until the light fixtures had reached the full brightness. And it not only caused a huge cost like electricity and others, but also brought a not good experience to the players and audience.
3. Why choosing LED lights for cricket stadium
1）LED lights have better energy efficiency
LED lights offer many benefits to the cricket stadium. For example, they are energy efficient and consume about 75% less energy. Moreover, they maintain their original brightness throughout their lives. These LED lights are not as flickering or buzzing as most traditional lighting technologies, in the meanwhile, they can reduce the maintenance costs due to their long lifespan. What's more importantly, LED lights do not contain any harmful ingredients, which means that their disposal processing is not complicated.
2) LED lights have high color rendering index and consume minimal electricity
The LED lights have a higher color rendering index that is over 80, which can highlight the true color of the objects. Manufacturers offer a variety of color temperatures and find an easy match for your cricket stadium or venue needs. And LED lights consume the least amount of electricity, even they can work under the power support of solar energy. So it is avoidable to rely on the power grid, which can save a lot of electricity cost for the cricket stadium.
3) LED lights can dimming control systems for cricket stadium
LED lights allows the controlling of light output, which means they have advanced control systems and fast communication. When used in conjunction with advanced lighting control system, LED lighting technology can increase energy efficiency and reduce operating costs. Even if the lights are turned on during the game, they should be evenly illuminated. With a single switch, you can reduce the light output by up to 50%. They are ideal for broadcasting and provide even illumination for the cricket stadium.
All in all, when choosing LED lights, we should ensure that they are of high quality. The lights should have high brightness, color temperature and luminous efficiency. They should be waterproof and have efficient thermal system, which can provide good ventilation.