Comparison of MH and LED performance for sport lighting application

European Commission recognizes the large amount of energy consumed for lighting, which reaches up to 15% of the electricity consumption in the E.U. Thus, it proposes the creation of several initiatives to develop a policy on the subject of public lighting applications in order to increase energy efficiency in public lighting and reduce CO
₂
emissions. Sports lighting electricity demand has increased over the last few years mainly due to high requirements for transmitting High Definition images for television viewing. The establishment of minimum amount of Lux requirements for playing surfaces of semi-professional and nonprofessional sports has also highlighted the issue of energy efficient sports lighting. This paper presents the investigation of the benefits of replacing the old lighting system of a mini soccer field, consisting of metal-halide, with a new efficient LED system. Installation parameters such as field geometric details, position of masts, as well as illumination and power consumption are taken under consideration. Comparison of the two systems in terms of lighting performance and energy efficiency is also presented. The newly installed LED system is proven to be better than the metal halide from every aspect investigated.