RemiBoucher
I’ll be speaking at IDA-Massachusetts annual conference in a few minutes. #Lightpollution from greenhouses and regulations to mitigate it is the topic of my presentation.
Nov 19, 2022 at 7:36pmWeb
Show threadRemiBoucherNov 19, 2022
Show threadRemiBoucherNov 19, 2022

If there's one slide to share, I think it's probably this one 👇

I turned the satellite images of #lightpollution in this 3D-map to show the intensity of the light as height.Those sharp peaks are all greenhouses! Really helps to understand the scale of artificial light they emit compared to what we are normally working with.

Show threadCarlRobitailleNov 19, 2022
@remiboucher Wow, that is an eye opener! I'm pretty sure they would same money and be more efficient with some kind of reflective membranes on the inside the ceilings. That woudl benefit them *and* the astronomers, no?
Show threadRemiBoucherNov 20, 2022
@CarlRobitaille yes indeed. There are blackout curtains made specifically for this. They keep the light inside, and they also keep the greenhouse warmer. In our cold climate, this translates into huge energy savings.
Show threadLeora RadetskyNov 20, 2022
@remiboucher wow! Where is this? Do you know any more about these facilities? What is the zoning around them/ What crops they are growing / Time of evening / Lighting technology? I wonder if they have had complaints and if they have considered blackout curtains.
Show threadRemiBoucherNov 20, 2022
@Radetl I don’t know every details, but crops are easy to find (mostly cucumber and tomatoes, some cannabis). The satellite passes overhead at ~1:00-1:30AM, but I don’t know the lighting schedules. You can see a lot of variations from night to night and month to month in the data, so it’s not easy to understand what they’re each doing.
And yes, there are complaints, especially for the one you see at the top-center. A few do have curtains, but they’re not always fully used.
Show threadRemiBoucherNov 20, 2022
@Radetl if you’re interested for more details, it would probably be easier to speak where there is no limit of caracters or in DMs
Show threadLeora RadetskyNov 20, 2022
@remiboucher I’ll figure out how to DM you on here to get your email. Thanks!
Show threadjryanNov 19, 2022
@remiboucher excellent presentation. I had no idea how much light is produced by greenhouses. Wow.
Show threadRemiBoucherNov 19, 2022
@jryan thank you 😊
Yes, they really are concerning and could wipe years of efforts in mitigating #lightpollution. Sadly, people only realize it when one is installed next to where they live.
Show threadjryanNov 19, 2022
@remiboucher yes. I think if people were more aware (just simply aware!) of light pollution—the human and wildlife harms caused—we’d be so much further along in protecting the night sky. Thank you for your work! #darkskies