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This will chiefly affect commercial billboards and the like, which should not be even allowed to ever emit light (or exist) IMNSHO.
I n NL we have human size billboards that have active cooling for crying out loud. When you walk past them, you hear a loud fan. Just such a waste of energy. I wish advertising should only be forbidden to use active lighting at all.
[0] https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/technologie/led-reklame...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
Here in Germany, there was recently a leak in the news. It said that a single LED sign consumes as much energy as 10 single households[0]. Of course, the companies don't want to give any official information. That is pretty high for no real value for society in my opinion... [0] https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/technologie/led-reklame...
> 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 w…
Lighting in those areas, which tend to be dark or populated, helps folks feel safer. Taking away the ads makes these places darker, and I can understand not suddenly having nervous folks not take the bus or train.
Though, I agree: They can get bent about the contracts. The proper response is to install proper lighting without the ads. Hopefully this is in the works.
Quoted post unavailable.
Power issues in Europe will be big enough going into the winter that the few German nuclear power plants will likely the least of our issues.
I'm afraid I don't follow the logic here.
How much electricity can plausibly be saved this way? And how does that compare to the energy required to reprogram and possibly renew all these signs?
About third of what was used before.
> And how does that compare to the energy required to reprogram and possibly renew all these signs?
That's cost of doing business and a one-time thing.
I 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.
If it was up to me I'd just ban outdoor advertising outright