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Owens ACS, Dressler CT, Lewis SM. Costs and benefits of "insect friendly" artificial lights are taxon specific. Oecologia 2022; 199:487-497. [PMID: 35650413 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05189-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The expansion of human activity into natural habitats often results in the introduction of artificial light at night, which can disrupt local ecosystems. Recent advances in LED technology have enabled spectral tuning of artificial light sources, which could in theory limit their impact on vulnerable taxa. To date, however, experimental comparisons of ecologically friendly candidate colors have often considered only one type of behavioral impact, sometimes on only single species. Resulting recommendations cannot be broadly implemented if their consequences for other local taxa are unknown. Working at a popular firefly ecotourism site, we exposed the insect community to artificial illumination of three colors (blue, broad-spectrum amber, red) and measured flight-to-light behavior as well as the courtship flash behavior of male Photinus carolinus fireflies. Firefly courtship activity was greatest under blue and red lights, while the most flying insects were attracted to blue and broad-spectrum amber lights. Thus, while impacts of spectrally tuned artificial light varied across taxa, our results suggest that red light, rather than amber light, is least disruptive to insects overall, and therefore more generally insect friendly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avalon C S Owens
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, 200 College Avenue, Medford, MA, 02155, USA.
| | - Caroline T Dressler
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, 200 College Avenue, Medford, MA, 02155, USA.,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, 80 Waterman Street, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - Sara M Lewis
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, 200 College Avenue, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
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Takács P, Slíz-Balogh J, Horváth Á, Horváth D, Jánosi IM, Horváth G. How the morning-afternoon cloudiness asymmetry affects the energy-maximizing azimuth direction of fixed-tilt monofacial solar panels. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211948. [PMID: 35425639 PMCID: PMC9006036 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In the Northern Hemisphere, south is the conventional azimuth direction of fixed-tilt monofacial solar panels, because this orientation may maximize the received light energy. How does the morning-afternoon cloudiness asymmetry affect the energy-maximizing azimuth direction of such solar panels? Prompted by this question, we calculated the total light energy received by a fixed-tilt monofacial solar panel in a whole year, using the celestial motion of the Sun and the direct and diffuse radiation measured hourly throughout the year in three North American (Boone County, Tennessee, Georgia) and European (Italy, Hungary, Sweden) regions. Here we show that, depending on the tilt angle and the local cloudiness conditions, the energy-maximizing ideal azimuth of a solar panel more or less turns eastward from south, if afternoons are cloudier than mornings in a yearly average. In certain cases, the turn of the ideal azimuth of such solar panels may be worth taking into consideration, even though the maximum energy gain is not larger than 5% for nearly vertical panels. Specifically, when solar panels are fixed on vertical walls or oblique roofs with non-ideal tilt, the deviation of the energy-maximizing azimuth from the south can be incorporated in the design of buildings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Péter Takács
- Environmental Optics Laboratory, Department of Biological Physics, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány sétány 1, Hungary
| | - Judit Slíz-Balogh
- Environmental Optics Laboratory, Department of Biological Physics, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány sétány 1, Hungary
- Department of Astronomy, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány sétány 1, Hungary
| | - Ákos Horváth
- Meteorological Institute, Universität Hamburg, Bundesstrasse 55, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dániel Horváth
- Environmental Optics Laboratory, Department of Biological Physics, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány sétány 1, Hungary
| | - Imre M. Jánosi
- Max Plack Institute für Physik Komplexer Systeme, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, D-01187 Dresden, Germany
- University of Public Service, Faculty of Water Science, Ludovika tér 2, H-1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor Horváth
- Environmental Optics Laboratory, Department of Biological Physics, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány sétány 1, Hungary
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