IAEEL newsletter 3-4/97
Lighting in Cyberspace
Lighting in Cyberspace
The lack of information is commonly cited as one of the major barriers to improving energy efficiency. The emergence of the Internet has dramatically increased the flow of information on efficient lighting. The following two articles introduce a new regular section in the IAEEL newsletter -Lighting on the Internet.
A wealth of information can be found on the web pages. In addition, the Internet facilitates communication and the exchange of information among individuals around the world. Sharing information has never been so easy and affordable.
E-mail, the most familiar use of the Internet is a well-known tool for day-to-day correspondence among individuals. More recently, thousands of topical e-mail discussion groups have emerged, including groups focused on utility issues, lighting, and HVAC. Messages sent by a given subscriber (typically no charge) reach all other subscribers, and thus a large number of people can participate in a discussion ‹ kind of like a virtual conference call. The Lighting Discussion Group, for example, has about 400 members worldwide. "Chat rooms" are also being used to enable real-time discussions, as exemplified by the five Internet-wide chats that have been held on power quality (lighting and non-lighting issues). More advanced Internet-based communications features, such as video-based communications make it possible (and affordable) for efficiency experts from disparate places around the world to participate in virtual design sessions.
One of the real advantages of discussion groups is the access they provide for people from developing countries, where alternative forms of communication are especially difficult or expensive. One of the real disadvantages is the quantity of correspondence that can quickly build up ‹ pick the groups you subscribe to carefully!.
Evan Mills
To subscribe to the Lighting group, send e-mail to "lighting-request@garnet.nist.gov" with the command "subscribe" in the body of the message.