LED lighting is a common feature of Scandinavian life. The Danish government’s ambition to make Denmark a world-leading technological society is encouraging the development and use of LED light bulbs throughout society.
And for Denmark’s neighbours, Sweden and Norway, LED lighting has been part of a sustainable lifestyle for some years.
LED lighting in Denmark
The Danish authorities are committed to LED technology. In December 2007, the government contributed half the money for a programme to develop intelligent light emitting diodes (InLED). Over the course of three years, the programme has created a best-selling LED bulb and two further award-winning bulbs.
Travellers to Denmark are likely to find LED light bulbs in many locations. The Copenhagen Opera House, for example, has had LED lighting since it opened in January 2005. Copenhagen also has various LED lighting systems in its streets.
The HQ of the lighting company, Martin Professional, is in the second-largest Danish city, Aarhus. The glass façade of the building has LED display panels mounted behind it. When visitors approach the building, the LED lighting reacts by changing colour and creating patterns. Movement inside the building also triggers the LED light bulbs to respond with eye-catching images.
LED Lighting in Sweden
In Sweden, LED lighting has combined with some of the popular winter sports. At one of the country’s most well-known ski resorts, Åre in Jämtland, lighting designers have created a programmable outdoor LED system. Visitors can ski the slopes at night with the aid of atmospheric illumination. They can also take guided tours on which the LED light bulbs conjure up a world of myth and magic based on a children’s story about a local giant.
One reason for choosing LED lighting in Sweden is to combat greenhouse gas emissions. Because air travel is notorious for contributing to such emissions, Swedish authorities have insisted on eco-friendly initiatives at the country’s largest airport, Arlanda. The airport uses biofuel for heating and LED light bulbs for lighting.
LED lighting has also helped Sweden win awards. The Swedish capital, Stockholm, received the accolade of the first European Green Capital in 2010. This was largely thanks to the LED light bulbs in many of the city’s streets, tunnels and car parks.
For the Swedes, the choice of LED light bulbs for any lighting project makes sense. Sweden generates 45% of its energy from renewable sources. Low-energy LED lighting is a natural complement to this strategy.
LED lighting projects in Norway
Like Sweden, Norway is keen to promote LED lighting in its streets. Local authorities have undertaken several lighting projects in the past few years. As a result, Norwegian road users now drive under the beams of tens of thousands of LED lamps.
Other LED lighting projects in Norway include the fittings at the Olavshallen Auditorium in the city of Trondheim. The brief was to replace all the standard 100-watt lamps in the venue with low-energy LED light bulbs. The new bulbs had to be fully dimmable and the installation work had to take place over the course of one night. The project team met these requirements without a hitch, and the LED lighting has proved a great success here as it has across the rest of Scandinavia.
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