HISTORY
Lunescent lighting uses modern technology, and draws upon more distant history.
In the early days, moonlight set a natural, accepted standard for illuminating towns and cities. The first gas and electric streetlights were turned off on clear moonlit nights—extra lighting beyond moonlight was not needed, and to save energy and maintenance costs. Some early streetlights, such as Austin’s 120 foot tall “moon towers”, were designed to replicate moonlight.
Lighting use patterns changed with the advent of widespread electrification in the early 20th century. The first fossil fuel plants needed a way to burn off excess electricity at night, when consumer demand dropped. Cities started leaving streetlights on all night, specifically to burn off this excess power. This intentional energy-wasting led directly to our current patterns of excessive outdoor lighting.
With today’s more advanced power plants—and a global energy crisis—the idea of leaving streetlights on all night just to burn off electricity is clearly obsolete. With adaptations to the requirements of modern life, Lunescent lighting returns the standard for nighttime illumination to what our eyes have evolved over millions of years to: moonlight.
