Understanding CIE 150:217: the guidelines for the application of light and lighting

Optimal lighting is essential for both players and spectators in sports venues. To achieve this, lighting systems must adhere to specific standards, one of the most important being CIE 150:2017, developed by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE). This standard provides guidance on the design, installation, and evaluation of sports lighting systems, ensuring high-quality and reliable performance while preventing light pollution in the surrounding neighborhood and natural environment.

What is CIE 150:2017?

CIE 150:2017 is a global standard, updated in 2017, that provides guidelines and recommendations for the lighting of sports venues. Specifically, it defines the requirements for the quantity and quality of light needed to ensure the safety and performance of athletes and enhancing the experience for spectators, whilst preserving surrounding environment from light pollution. The standard covers a wide range of sports facilities, including outdoor and indoor sports arenas, training fields, and recreational sports venues.

Key requirements of CIE 150:2017

CIE 150:2017 recommends color temperature and rendering guidelines for different applications. LEDs must comply to meet functional and aesthetic needs, especially in sports venues where color accuracy affects performance and safety.

Uniform lighting is crucial in sports venues to reduce shadows and ensure a consistent playing environment. CIE 150:2017 outlines uniformity ratios to evenly illuminate fields or courts, preventing distracting lighting that could impact players and viewers.

Glare and light spill are common issues in sports venues. CIE 150:2017 stresses glare control to prevent discomfort for athletes and spectators. Proper control minimizes distractions and protects surrounding areas from unwanted light spill.

CIE 150:2017 emphasizes good color rendering with a high CRI for sports lighting. This ensures accurate color perception, enhancing the viewing experience for players and spectators.

CIE 150:2017 promotes energy-efficient solutions for sports venues to reduce carbon footprints. LED lighting, known for its efficiency, is a key technology recommended by the standard.

CIE 150:2017 addresses lighting for televised sports, ensuring conditions that support high-definition cameras. It provides guidelines to balance performance and broadcast lighting.

How does CIE 150:2017 impact LED lighting solutions?

CIE 150:2017, titled Guidelines for the Application of Light and Lighting, provides a framework for the appropriate use of light in various environments, with an emphasis on minimizing light pollution, ensuring visual comfort, and improving energy efficiency. While the standard is not specifically focused on LED lighting, its guidelines have a significant impact on how LED lighting is used, designed, and evaluated, particularly in outdoor and public settings like sports venues.

Here’s how CIE 150:2017 impacts LED lighting:

Light pollution control
The standard focuses on reducing light spill and preventing outdoor lighting from harming the environment. While LEDs are brighter and more directional, proper application of CIE 150:2017 helps optimize their use, minimizing unwanted light spill into neighborhoods, wildlife habitats, and the night sky.
Energy efficiency
CIE 150:2017 promotes energy-efficient lighting, and LEDs, with their high efficiency, align with this goal. The standard balances efficiency with lighting quality, ensuring LEDs provide adequate illumination without wasting energy.
Visual comfort & quality
The standard recommends lighting for visual comfort while avoiding glare. Since LEDs can produce intense light, CIE 150:2017 guides proper optics, dimming, and placement to prevent discomfort and optimize performance.
Uniformity & functionality
When following the standard's guidelines, LED lighting improves uniformity, crucial for sports fields and outdoor areas. LEDs' adjustable intensity and spread help meet CIE 150:2017’s uniformity standards, ensuring consistent lighting without hotspots or shadows.
Color rendering & temperture
CIE 150:2017 recommends suitable color temperature and rendering for various applications. LEDs, with diverse color options, must comply to meet both functional and aesthetic needs, especially in sports venues where accurate color rendering impacts performance and safety.

The CIE 150:2017 standard is essential for achieving the highest quality and performance in sports lighting. It offers comprehensive guidelines that ensure safe, comfortable, and visually optimal environments for both athletes and spectators. By strictly following these standards, sports venues can enhance visibility, safety, and overall experience. At AAA-LUX, we are dedicated to fully complying with
CIE 150:2017 in the design and production of our luminaires. This commitment ensures that every lighting solution we offer meets the critical requirements for illuminance, uniformity, glare control, and energy efficiency, delivering exceptional performance and reliability for your venue.