The Dark of Paris

Paris has gone mostly dark at night. It's a bad idea for lots of reasons.

I'm on my way to the annual Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. Aerospace is an important part of my company's business, so I make it a point to visit this show annually.

(Source: motiqua on Flickr.com)

Aerospace has been a lead industry for LED Lighting. The enormous costs associated with developing and qualifying a product for aviation, together with the safety and maintenance aspects of aviation products, compensate for some of the higher initial costs of earlier LED-based systems.

I was involved in the development and production of some of the first LED mood lighting more than 10 years ago. Now, while LED lighting has dropped in price and become more mainstream, virtually all new airframe development is LED. I can't wait to see the new LED lighting concepts on display at this year's show. I'm sure that will be a great topic for a future report.

Now, as I await my flight here at Newark International Airport, my mind wanders to my route of flight. I start to wonder what I'll see out the aircraft window at around 6:00 a.m. European time, when I estimate my flight will be crossing France and possibly in sight of Paris.

Darkness

With disbelief I learned that France instituted a ban last year on most exterior lights at night. The ban is effective between 1:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Paris, the City of Light, operating in the dark? Est-ce que possible?

There are some exceptions. The Eiffel Tower, the signature of Paris and one of the world's most well-known landmarks, will continue its light shows. So the scary image above won't come to pass, although the tower's lights did go dark for one hour as part of the Earth Hour switch-off on March 23 last year.

The reason for the citywide ban is energy savings. The Huffington Post reported that France estimates the legislation will save more than $260 million annually and benefit from a commensurate reduction in carbon emissions. Surely saving energy is a laudable goal, but an absolute ban, and on lighting, especially now with LEDs becoming ever more efficient? What's next, the venerable automobile? I'd imagine France would save even more energy banning all motor vehicles over that same period of time.

Motivation

The ban does not distinguish between inefficient or efficient sources or by the amount of lighting used by an organization. What motivation is left to improve the efficiency of the lighting system? Does this ban include candles? How about photo-luminescent strips? Je ne sais pas.

I just don't think it's a good idea to legislate solutions. Politicians are generally not business people, engineers, or accountants. I also wonder what will happen to tourism, business, and public safety in the absence of light. The tourism industry fought hard against the ban before it was enacted.

A better idea

Here's my idea. Instead of banning lighting, why not require energy consumption caps per person or organization and leave it to the individual or organization to decide how best to conserve energy?

I'm very curious to see if this concept spreads to other countries, or if France ultimately rescinds the act. I for one hope that New York does not follow suit. Where would Times Square be without its lighting?