Lighting the Way

Light is a form of energy, and in order to create energy, another form of energy must be supplied. There are two common ways in which light is created–incandescence and luminescence. Incandescence is light from heat energy–when you heat something, it will begin to glow.

When an electric stove or metal begins to glow, that is incandescence.

Even the stars and sun glow by incandescence. Luminescence is light that can be emitted at normal and lower temperatures. Luminescence can be caused by chemical reactions, electrical energy, subatomic motions, or stress on a crystal.

There are several types of luminescence, some of which include: bioluminescence, chemiluminescence, crystalloluminescence, and electroluminescence. If I were to redesign New York City's power source, I would use bioluminescence. Bioluminescence is defined as the production and emission of light by a living organism. Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring form of chemiluminescence where energy is released by a chemical reaction in the form of light emission.

Just like humans, animals need light to get around; however, humans get their light from artificial light sources (lights bulbs), whereas bioluminescent life forms can make their own light and carry it around with them.

Animals, however, produce light very differently from the way that light bulbs do. Light bulbs create light through incandescence–the filament inside the bulb gets very hot and emits light. Although this is the primary source where humans get their light, it isn't particularly efficient since generating enough heat to create light wastes an immense amount of energy. Bioluminescent animals produce light through luminescence–mixing chemical compounds together to produce a glow. Luminescence is far more efficient than incandescence, and for this reason, I would choose bioluminescence as my primary light energy source. Luminescence doesn't require nor generate much heat; luminescence is commonly referred to as cold light for this reason.

There are many bioluminescent insects, centipedes, millipedes, and worms. Perhaps the most famous bioluminescent insect if the firefly. But most of the world's bioluminescence can be found in the ocean, most commonly are jellyfish, squid, shrimp, krill, marine worms, and fish.

Because bioluminescence is naturally produced in organisms, it's cheap, efficient, and renewable. In a world where carbon emissions are at record high levels, it's vital for New York and other cities to reduce our dependence on electricity and carbon footprint. Saving energy and taking advantage of the natural light all around us, is essential if we want New York to become a self-sustaining city.