Patented Technology

Metrolight's powerful technology allows up to 70% energy savings based on three factors:

1. Ballast Efficiency: Replacing magnetic with Metrolight's electronic ballasts saves10% on ballast efficiency.
    
2. Improved Lumen Maintenance: Enabling the use of lower wattage lamps and energy savings of 35-55% without sacrificing Light through minimizing of lamps electrode degredation.
    
3. Controlled Dimming – built in and externally controlled dimming solutions adjust the light levels to the exact amount required and can save up to 40% of energy consumption

 Figure 1: Energy Savings Composition

Improved Lumen Maintenance Enabling Use of Lower Wattage Lamps without Sacrificing Light

Conventional Pulse Start HID lighting systems, powered by magnetic ballast, experience a 40-50% fall-off in light output over the published life of the lamp. Probe Start systems are even worse, typically losing 60-70% of initial light output. As such, lighting designers are forced to radically overdesign initial lumen levels to compensate for this fall-off, wasting substantial amounts of energy. In addition, to the rapid light degradation, the magnetic systems’ power and  light are very input voltage depended. Combined with the low power factor, significant power transmission loses exist. These systems thus experience color variation, flickering and operational noise.

 Figure 2: Providing required light level without compensating with ‘over-design’ for rapid lumen degradation

Metrolight’s SmartHID™ electronic ballasts offer significant improvements in lumen maintenance and efficiency when compared to conventional HID lighting systems driven by pulse start magnetic ballasts & other technologies. This improvement allows the use of a lower wattage lamp to achieve equal or even slightly higher, maintained light output.

Optimized High Frequency Operation

Standard magnetic ballasts drive an HID lamp by a low grid frequency (50-60Hz) sine wave. This  changes the polarity of the electrodes 50-60 times per second. During the wave transition, the lamp is virtually switched off for a few milliseconds causing the electrodes to cool. The frequent, drastic temperature changes erode the electrodes until they not longer function, and also shorten lamp life and blacken bulb walls. Metrolight’s high frequency mode of operation preserves lamp electrodes from erosion, increases the efficacy of the lamps, improves performance and extends lamp lifetime.

  Figure 3: Effects of high and low frequency on Electrodes