Lighting Up the Future: New LED Lighting in Chase Field for the Arizona Diamondbacks
As the Arizona Diamondbacks take to the field, there’s a new kind of energy illuminating Chase Field, and it’s not just the excitement of the game. In a continued effort towards sustainability, enhanced performance and an elevated fan experience, the Diamondbacks have upgraded their stadium lighting from metal-halide lamps to state-of-the-art LEDs.
In Avnet’s world, the migration to LED lighting is a regular occurrence. Industrial settings are making the conversion for many of the same reasons the Diamondbacks did and Avnet is at the forefront of these state-of-the-art lighting solutions. There are many intricacies involved in designing and installing LED lighting systems. From the driver technology to the heat dissipation techniques, Avnet has the expertise and products to meet the needs of many customer designs.
In this article, we’ll examine the differences in lighting technology and the benefits that LED technology brings.
What are metal-halide lamps?
These lights have been around for quite some time. Charles Proteus Steinmetz, the “Wizard of General Electric” is credited with the first patent in 1912. He invented the concept of adding metallic iodides to modify the light spectrum of a mercury arc discharge.
Over the years the amount of mercury used has lessened but the basic function has remained similar. These lamps produce light by an electric arc through a gaseous mixture of vaporized mercury and metal halides. This reaction produces a high luminous efficacy of around 75-100 lumens per watt which is 3 to 5 times that of incandescent lights. This makes them ideal for floodlights on a baseball field or automotive headlamps (Xenon).
However, since the metal atoms produce most of the light output, they require a warm-up period of several minutes to reach full output, and they also require special fixtures to operate safely because they operate at a pressure of 4 to 20 times our atmosphere.
Metal halide bulbs have a lifespan of 6,000 to 15,000 hours, which is impressive when compared to standard incandescent bulbs which have a lifespan of 1,000 to 3,000 hours.
Considering all these points, it’s easy to see why metal halide lamps have been used in floodlight applications such as Chase Field.
How about LEDs?
Compared to metal halide lamps, LEDs have been around for a much shorter period. These lights were developed in the early 1960’s and only produced light in the low, red spectrum. The first white LEDs came about due to the invention of high-brightness blue versions in 1994. The white LEDs employed a phosphor coating to partially convert the blue light to red and green, which creates a light that appears white.
Since that time, many advancements have been made in LED technology enabling higher brightness, better efficiency and greater control in the way of tri-color (Red, Green, Blue) versions that can effectively create any color.
Efficiency is a major factor when discussing LED technology. These lights are capable of exceeding 200 lumens per watt and convert more than half the input power into light as opposed to metal halide which converts a great deal of the power into heat.
The Spark Behind the Switch
So, why did Chase Field make the switch to LED lighting? The answer lies in a blend of performance, efficiency, and environmental consciousness. Let’s break down these key reasons:
Superior Performance
The metal halide lighting was able to light the field adequately, they produced a great deal of heat. Any fan who happened to be seated near the old lighting system can attest to the heat coming off of the old metal halide lighting system. The new LED system all but eliminates the significant heat that was being generated giving the fans a much more comfortable experience.
Light quality is also a factor of performance and LEDs are certainly not lacking in that aspect. The new lights provide a brighter and cleaner light source while reducing glare. Fans and players alike have enjoyed the ability to track a pop fly that’s up in the lights without the blinding effects of the metal halide lamps.
Higher Efficiency
This leads to efficiency because LEDs use more power to produce light and not heat, they are much more efficient and require significantly lower power than other light sources. Reduced power requirements save money but also lead to a reduced fixture requirement. The old metal halide lighting system required 708 fixtures to light the field adequately. Whereas the new LEDs only require 434 fixtures, 48 of which are full-color capable. So, in reality, there are 386 dedicated white LED lights. All of this has reduced the cost to Chase Field by a whopping $145,000 a year!
What About Maintenance?
We’ve all had to change an incandescent bulb in our home, so we realize it’s as simple as getting a step ladder and swapping them out. But in Chase Field, it’s not that simple at all. They’ve separated the maintenance into 2 sections, the corner banks and the main banks and each was on a 2-year rotation. This means that the maintenance team was changing one of the banks every year. This required personnel to go up in the catwalk and tie off with safety harnesses and swap out bulbs. The process would take about 2 full weeks each year, and after it was completed, inevitably there would be a bulb or so out the next day.
This is where the long lifespan of LEDs and the maintenance agreement that the Diamondbacks have with the manufacturer of the LED system shines. This system comes with a 10-year agreement where the manufacturer actually monitors the status of the driver circuits and the LED lights via remote sensing. This means that anytime there’s an issue, the manufacturer knows almost instantly and can get someone out to address it right away.
The Fan Experience
We all know that baseball players appreciate their fans and the Diamondbacks are certainly no exception. Which is why the fan experience was a large consideration when they made the switch to LEDs.
The old metal halide lamps required 30 minutes to be turned back on, and even then, were only capable of solid white light. The new LED system can be turned on instantly with no lag and is capable of producing almost any color with the 48 color fixtures. Fans can experience red white and blue during the national anthem, flashing lights during a homer and when the closer comes up.
These features go beyond baseball as well. Chase Field hosts corporate events, concerts and many other events. The color-changing ability and instant-on capability add a great deal to the experience of listening to your favorite band in the comfort of the stadium.
Summary
As you can see, technology plays a large part in everyday life at Chase Field and the Diamondbacks have their eye on the future to ensure they are keeping up with the latest in efficiency, fan experience and cost-effective solutions. Avnet is proud to be a patch partner to the Diamondbacks and to help customers all over the world develop the next generation of high-tech products.
