An educational approach to a lighting design simulation using DIALux evo software

The energy is essential to the well-being of populations, both economically and socially. The increasing demands of energy consumption worldwide require an increased use of energy resources, with adverse consequences for the environment. Solving problems related to lighting design is a major challenge for the 21st century. One of the main goals is to make cities more comfortable and safer, to which the lighting infrastructure plays a key role. It is clear that by adapting the lighting system there is an attempt to produce a feeling of well-being and security among the population. The main goal of this paper is to reduce the energy consumption and adapt the existent lighting system to the present needs using modern and efficient technologies. This paper aims at alerting electrical engineering students to the basic concepts, particularly those in the domain of lighting efficiency, in lighting related subjects. A case study was carried out by the students, which will demonstrate the impact of the exterior lighting solutions on energy efficiency. The selected lighting solutions will involve LED lamps and the students used the DIALux evo software applied to the exterior lighting system of the “Calçada Santa Isabel” (Santa Isabel causeway) in Coimbra.