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LED Television Studio Lighting: A First Worldwide

Since the early days of the trade, excessive heat and major energy consumption have been synonymous with television studios. Not so anymore, thanks to the implementation of exclusively LED lighting in CBC/Radio-Canada’s television studios. An innovative green technology concept delivered by Brad Dickson, one of our key lighting directors, is radically reducing the Corporation’s carbon footprint while leading the way worldwide in conserving energy and reducing waste.

LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting is a highly efficient technology that dramatically lowers overall electricity requirements in our studios in two important ways: for powering the lights themselves, and for cooling. Before Brad Dickson developed the use of entirely LED lighting for our studios, lighting directors everywhere were using either conventional tungsten lighting only or a combination of conventional and LED lighting. Both of these choices needed significant, continuous amounts of power, because conventional tungsten light sources transform into 90 per cent heat and only 10 per cent light. By contrast, LED fixtures generate more light and less heat, providing significant efficiencies and lessening the demands on HVAC systems in our facilities. With the use of LED lighting only, extra air conditioning and dimmers are no longer needed.

LED lighting delivers other important environmental benefits which contribute to reducing the Corporation’s environmental footprint. LED fixtures have a substantially longer life than traditional tungsten bulbs. In fact, with bulbs lasting an estimated 50,000 hours, CBC/Radio-Canada continues to use the same light fixtures years after their initial installation, and without bulb changes. This translates into major savings in the number of bulbs going into landfill, not to mention in the consumption of materials for the creation of those bulbs. Also, with the move away from fluorescent lights that contain mercury and from arc lights that emit UV rays, we are providing a safer environment.

We have progressed from CBC/Radio-Canada’s initial all-LED-lit studio in 2007 — the first in the world — to our Beijing Olympic studios — the only production unit of the sort at the Games — to recycling the Beijing fixtures for our domestic studios, and finally to the conversion of all of our television studios to LED lighting. Today, numerous other broadcasters are following our lead worldwide, and the lighting industry is responding by developing even better LED technologies.

By taking responsible risks and embracing new ideas and new technologies, we have significantly cut our energy requirements since 2007 and reduced our overall greenhouse gas emissions; practically eliminated bulbs being sent to landfill; and helped national and international broadcasters to adopt an excellent green technology. By doing this, CBC/Radio-Canada has continued to build upon its commitment to environmental stewardship.