Comparative study of energy-efficiency and conservation systems for ceramic metal-halide discharge lamps

Interest in energy savings in urban lighting is gaining traction and has become a priority for municipal administrations. LED (light-emitting diode) technology appears to be the clear future lighting choice. However, this technology is still rapidly developing and has not been sufficiently tested. As an intermediate step, alternative proposals for energy-saving equipment for traditional discharge lamps are desirable so that the current technologies can coexist with the new LED counterparts for the short and medium term. This article provides a comparative study between two efficiency and energy-saving systems for discharge lamps with metal-halide and ceramic technologies, i.e., a lighting flow dimmer-stabilizer and a double-level electronic ballast. ► It has been demonstrated the possibility of regulating ceramic metal-halide lamps with lighting flow dimmer-stabilizer. ► Electronic ballasts can save approximately double quantity of energy than lighting flow dimmer-stabilizers. ► The use of lighting flow dimmer-stabilizer is more profitable than electronic ballasts due to costs and reliability.