The Baltimore Ravens came storming out the gates to a 28-6 lead versus the San Francisco 49ers by the early part of the third quarter. Ravens fans thought this game was in the bag. On this pace, a blowout victory was virtually inevitable.
Then it happened…
The Harbaugh Bowl instantly became the Blackout Bowl–just by a flip of a switch, or something along those lines.
Confusion ensued. Mayhem permeated inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and across social media. Nobody knew what to make of this incident or how to overcome it right then and there. A power outage–out of all fathomable possibilities–swallowed the headlines of Super Bowl XLVII.
A lot of conspiracy theories abound. Terrell Suggs believed Commissioner Roger Goodell played a role. Ray Lewis discussed in an NFL Films documentary that there’s no way this event wasn’t premeditated. Nielsen stated that an average of 108.4 million total viewers tuned in as the second most watched all-time, which has lead for some fans to assume that the networks and advertisers were at fault. Las Vegas and gamblers, of course, remained a potential scapegoat.
All that notwithstanding, play halted for 34 minutes. This delay felt like an eternity. The lights went out and it almost single-handedly impacted the outcome of the game. There’s no conceivable excuse valid enough to warrant such a scenario to happen again. The NFL had to get to the bottom of this dilemma.
According to CBS News, the operators, Entergy New Orleans, of a device called a relay took the blame instead of its manufacturer, S&C Electric Company. This electrical instrument’s, ironically, use is to negate power outages to begin with. It was installed as a switching gear that limits cable malfunctioning through two different power lines within the stadium. S&C Electric Company mentioned that there was an electric overload far too great for the device to withstand, which could’ve been prevented with higher settings to offset any likelihood of the power disconnecting.
“It’s not unusual for them to have problems. They can be unpredictable despite national standards recommended by manufacturers,” said Dr. Shabab Mehraeen of Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Still, there’s a larger, micro issue directly involved with this circumstance.
SportTechie explored the NFL’s state of technology this season in our #NFLTechSeries. The vast majority among these stadiums, unfortunately, are not comprehensively designed or configured to the latest innovations. The New Orleans Saints and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome ranked towards the end of this spectrum. AT&T helped with Wi-Fi for the Super Bowl, which badly needed it. But lack of connectivity pales to be as egregious as Entergy New Orleans doling out $4.2 million to upgrade the power system; and then have it abruptly shut down in the biggest game of the year. It’s the lighting infrastructure that underscores what needs to be addressed through LED technology.
These lights, on the whole, comprise of a metal halide system technology dating back five decades. There’s been very little upgrades made to them since then. They derive from the antiquated concept of glass light bulbs with gas or filaments. Over the long haul, venue operators would have to expend a lot for these bulbs and maintenance than the system itself.
“The results is a short lifespan, quick degradation in quality, high energy, and constant maintenance,” Mike Lorenz, President of Ephesus Lighting, says to SportTechie. “But beyond that, it is the rigidity of these systems that make them incompatible for sports and entertainment lighting.”
Ephesus Lighting is a Syracuse-based startup that has quickly emerged as the leader in sports lighting technology. In the past two years, they have installed LED applications across a dozen indoor arenas, including the home of AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, War Memorial Arena, and the University of Rhode Island’s The Ryan Center. The former site represents the first sporting venue in America to be powered by LED lighting. The War Memorial Arena experienced an 87 percent decrease in energy costs this past year–that’s 263,000 to 32,000 Kilowatts. Ephesus Lighting have positioned themselves to secure expansion to the NFL, MLB, and major college facilities by next season.
Up until this point, it’s been extremely difficult for outdoor NFL venues to adopt LED systems because of the high degree of requisite, exact light to lit from long distances. That’s been the primary impediment along with the invariable, virtually obsolete metal halide systems remaining its longevity. LED lighting is rapidly proving to be the standard for indoor arenas due to its reliability, effectiveness, energy efficiency, and high quality light. Ephesus Lighting has engineered a solution to replace one hundred 2,000W(att) of the outdated system to between 50 to 60 of their stadium lights, which would reduce energy consumption to 75 percent or better on average.
At its core, LED emanates light by using semi-state technology, semiconductors, rather than gases or filaments, which has been commonplace among consumer devices, like cell phones and computers, for years. Lorenz mentioned that this lighting is based on the principle of using semiconductors to produce photons versus traditional electrons. Most manufactures purchase components elsewhere, while Ephesus Lighting design their own internally, such as array cards, controller, and lens, in order to ensure a better performance.
The process to implement this technology within an NFL stadium begins with the lighting design. After examining the current lighting infrastructure and its performance measurements, Ephesus Lighting crafts an LED solution contingent on the customer’s specifications and those of the sport. The fixtures are created in a way that makes for swift installation with few wiring. There exists multiple mounting options with a simple power cord, while the lights function under any voltage. The previous lights would then be replaced with these new ones, followed by confirming new light measurements reflect the initial lighting agenda.
So if Ephesus Lighting’s LEDs were in place inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome a year ago, all it would’ve taken was simply flicking a switch for the lights to be back on.
Problem solved.
“Because the power infrastructure to support the Ephesus LED solution is dramatically less than that needed to support metal halide solution, it is also feasible to have a battery back-up system that would keep the lights operational for up to 90 minutes, if conventional power was lost,” Lorenz describes.
Thus, this scenario would cancel any potential light interruption. The battery alternative isn’t economically plausible under the current lay-out. Their technology would have enabled to turn on the lights at maximum intensity in a microsecond when the power returned.
For that or any Super Bowl, the value stems from three key factors: enhanced lighting, flexibility, and reliability. Lorenz believes the first of which bestows a higher light quality that’s better for the players, fans, and the HD broadcast. The second allows the operator to present a range of light displays to entertain fans as well as control convenience. And the third eliminates the power loss concern all together.
Still, the true value proposition of Ephesus LED clearly lies in what it provides the venue for the building’s life. For instance, LED lights sustains 95 percent light output for more than a decade, while the metal halide lights average 40 percent degradation within the first 18 months. The tangible reduction in energy, the eradication of maintenance, and better, consistent accurate lighting means results.
“I think the introduction of technology in sporting venues is just the beginning. Companies like Cisco recognize the opportunity and are introducing improved ways to enhance the connected fan experience. It only makes sense for lighting to be part of the equation. Imagine a lighting constellation that can be used to communicate with the fans, dance to music, message folks, celebrate events and change colors,” Lorenz foresees.
“As adoption of LED technology occurs we will play a leadership role from a lighting perspective. By its very nature and design, LED lighting is intelligent; and will go a long way to demonstrate what is possible regarding using lights in ways that up until now were impossible to consider,” continues Lorenz.
In other terms, Oreo may have shined the brightest with its ad campaign during this infamous Super Bowl blackout. But, for Ephesus Lighting’s case, it was Audi that won in the dark with their foresight into the future…
