CONTROLS CASE STUDY | Volleyball facility aces upgrade with LEDs and wireless controls (UPDATED)
Unlike many commercial-use buildings, sports facilities can often see activity at all times of day whether athletes are training or competing. With the cost of energy resources in mind, electrical installer VGL Elektro selected Noxion LED high-bay luminaires and Cosmicnode wireless controls for a Belgian volleyball hall project based in Genk.
The sports facility owner required greater energy efficiency, light quality, and controllability while keeping disruption of the existing infrastructure to a minimum. In particular, the operator sought to improve the player and fan experience by introducing more dynamic lighting effects and increasing the contrast between seating and court areas.
In discussions with VGL Elektro, the client specified that robustness and ease of use were top priorities for both the LED lighting and the controls, in order to reduce maintenance, conserve energy, and enable facilities operators to jump right in with using the new technology.
VGL manager Werner Van Genechten said Cosmicnode’s straightforward commissioning and user-friendliness made it the suitable choice for the volleyball project. “The wireless control system provided a cost-effective and sturdy solution that could be seamlessly integrated,” he elaborated, “ and [is] perfectly aligned with the customer’s need for both app-based and switch-based control.”
Cosmicnode has been delivering its wireless mesh-based network technology into applications across commercial, industrial, horticultural, municipal, and sports environments for the past three years. In a “Profiles in Lighting” piece earlier this year, the company’s founders emphasized its plug-and-play controller installation, multiradio connectivity, low-latency data transfer capability, and technology scalability for projects of all sizes.
The IP65- and IK08-rated Noxion Ecowhite high bays resist splashing and dust; feature up to 130 lm/W efficacy; and serve in applications with 4- to 14-meter ceiling heights. Cosmicnode’s wireless 0–10V controller, Internet of Things gateway, and app connect and communicate with 54 wireless control nodes throughout the facility. For added flexibility, EnOcean energy-harvesting switches provide simple wall switch-based interfaces without the need for battery backup, while app-based controls support more sophisticated functions, such as flashing lights to kick off a volleyball match or more granular control of specific zones. For example, “group control functionality” enables the user to set the court to a higher brightness level while dimming the viewing and seating zones for a more comfortable spectator experience.
With wireless zone controls and dimming installed alongside more efficient lighting, the sports hall is set to reduce its energy consumption by between 15% and 20% in comparison to the previous binary on/off function of the lighting system.
Cosmicnode cofounder Vinay Hiremath said, “We have already received positive feedback from the client, who has expressed their appreciation for the greater flexibility and control that the Cosmicnode system has provided, enabling them to adapt the lighting to suit their changing needs and preferences.”
PROJECT NOTEBOOK
Location: Genk, Belgium
Electrical installer: VGL Elektro
Lighting: Noxion LED Highbay Ecowhite
Wireless lighting controls: Cosmicnode
Wireless switch: EnOcean
CARRIE MEADOWS is editor-in-chief of LEDs Magazine, with 20-plus years’ experience in business-to-business publishing across technology markets including solid-state technology manufacturing, fiberoptic communications, machine vision, lasers and photonics, and LEDs and lighting.
*Updated Sept. 27, 2023 for Cosmicnode product images.
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Carrie Meadows | Editor-in-Chief, LEDs Magazine
Carrie Meadows has more than 20 years of experience in the publishing and media industry. She worked with the PennWell Technology Group for more than 17 years, having been part of the editorial staff at Solid State Technology, Microlithography World, Lightwave, Portable Design, CleanRooms, Laser Focus World, and Vision Systems Design before the group was acquired by current parent company Endeavor Business Media.
Meadows has received finalist recognition for LEDs Magazine in the FOLIO Eddie Awards, and has volunteered as a judge on several B2B editorial awards committees. She received a BA in English literature from Saint Anselm College, and earned thesis honors in the college's Geisel Library. Without the patience to sit down and write a book of her own, she has gladly undertaken the role of editor for the writings of friends and family.
Meadows enjoys living in the beautiful but sometimes unpredictable four seasons of the New England region, volunteering with an animal shelter, reading (of course), and walking with friends and extended "dog family" in her spare time.
