Lowering energy consumption is a neat goal, but most of these billboards should be outright banned for many other reasons.
German digital signage ban prompts confusion
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Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion
#22The headline is a bit confusing. Looking at the article, the regulation was written in Germany but is passed by the EU (suggesting this will not only affect Germany but also other EU member countries that implement it?) and it is not just about "digital signage" but all illuminted displays in public spaces that aren't necessary for regulating traffic. So this would likely also affect neon signs and illuminated non-digital billboards.
The part about there being confusion in whether this applies to shop windows likely also is more about whether this applies to LED displays and showcases in shop windows because they're technically not "in a public space" due to being in the shop but would clearly be affected if they weren't.
The headline had me wonder why shops would have to turn off the e-ink displays on shelves indicating the prices of items after 10pm given that most shops that have them (e.g. supermarkets) are closed by that time anyway. The massive LED walls you see in big cities like New York are so rare in most of Germany I didn't think of them when I read "digital signage".
Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion
#23Quoted post unavailable.
Bigger problems in Germany are the lack of big power lines between the North and South and of course the reluctance to build more wind energy. Especially Bavaria has been shooting its own feet several times, even built a gas power station a few years back and now it's in a bit of a panic...
You cannot power a country with wind power alone. Even if you want to build wind turbines, you need nuclear, gas, or coal to back them up.
Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion
#24This is going to be interesting to watch, as many low-end digital signage solutions do not have the ability to fully shut off the displays they’re attached to (and I suspect some high-end billboards will have displays fully decoupled from media players, etc.)
A hardware store timer should solve that problem
At a fiver per piece, old dumb and reliable tech, and set and forget, these are by far the easiest solution.
Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion
#25Quoted post unavailable.
Also Germany: repoens, I believe approx. 8 GW, coal plants.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliecoleman/2022/07/08/germany...
I'm sorry, but this is hearfelt: the German greens are climate criminals. And they were fully warned of exactly this situation decades ago, so no, they have zero "circumstances forced our hand" defence.
You knew, and you chose to burn coal anyway.
Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion
#26This is a cult. Government is implementing micromanaging measure which may reduce energy consumtion by 1%, but on the other hand they do not want to extend the lifetime of nuclear reactors for a few years to help transition, because those 3% that they contribute are not worth it.
That 1% would really matter a lot so that’s an argument in favor.
All the smaller things add up too.
Nuclear is back on the table in Germany afaik. Not sure if they really will backtrack, but even if they mess up the nuclear thing, this signage decision is 100% a good thing.
Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion
#27> This means out-of-home advertising displays at bus stops, train stations and in underpasses could still be operated according to invidis managing director Florian Rotberg. “Most contracts explicitly require outdoor advertising companies to operate backlit city light posters and screens well into the night to provide passengers with more security in the waiting area. Autumn will show whether and how the exemptions will be used,” he said.
Most contracts require lighting because otherwise people can't be spammed with ads without their consent at night and they're pretending it's for public safety. I hope whoever decides on this comes down hard on them for having the audacity to pretend lighting from ads is anywhere close to helping public safety. They can get bent about contracts, contracts do not supersede the law.
Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion
#28I wish the whole world would do this stuff. Light pollution sucks. It's understandable from street lights but other sources aren't as excusable.
At first I loved LED street lights because I could see so much better by them (and I presume that they have an increased deterrent effect on crime though I have not checked this). These days I think disrupting wildlife is more important than human safety and I wish we could get rid of nearly all street lighting.
I wonder if the ubiquitousness of people carrying flashlights in the form of smartphones could be leveraged into doing away with street lights as an expected practice. I don't think I would actually support that, but I think that kind of shift in culture is a possibility right now.
Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion
#29This is a cult. Government is implementing micromanaging measure which may reduce energy consumtion by 1%, but on the other hand they do not want to extend the lifetime of nuclear reactors for a few years to help transition, because those 3% that they contribute are not worth it.
I don't care, any time those billboards aren't flooding their immediate area with advertising and light the better.
Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion
#30This is a cult. Government is implementing micromanaging measure which may reduce energy consumtion by 1%, but on the other hand they do not want to extend the lifetime of nuclear reactors for a few years to help transition, because those 3% that they contribute are not worth it.
Dude 1% being wasted on annoying your citizenry and creating light pollution is a huge deal. How is that micromanaging?