Light pollution has become a familiar and expanding woe. Artificially-lit areas are all around us, expanding by 2.2 percent per year, and light pollution comes with its own health risks for both humans and animals.

But that doesn't mean it's impossible to fight back. Norwegian programmer and YouTuber Bjørn Nyland highlights an experiment in highway lights that auto-dim when nobody's around.

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There's no sense in using energy and creating light pollution to illuminate an empty space. So, when there are no cars around, the lights dim to around 20 percent of their full power. When a car comes driving through, they kick into full blast.

Nyland claims that the tiny municipality of Hole, Norway, home to 5,000 people, is saving 2m100 kWh per week, or 12,500 watts. Even though the auto-dimming lights dot only 5.5 miles (9 km) of road, Nyland says the Norwegian government expects a return on investment in 4.5 years.

Countries around the world are using highways as energy innovation centers. China recently completed a highway with translucent cement and solar panels underneath to help power a nearby city. And while the United States hasn't tried auto-dimming its highway lights yet, it recently earned its first-ever Dark Sky Reserve, showing that clear night skies can exist when people want them.

Source: Core77

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