Huntsville-based Botanical Garden 'goes green' for this year's Galaxy of Lights Display

November 21, 2016

The Huntsville Botanical Garden Galaxy of Lights is in full swing, and as local folks know, it’s not quite the holidays until you’ve seen the beautiful displays that have become a tradition for most families. This year’s Galaxy display will be fueled with innovation and cost-reducing technology that will benefit the Garden for years to come.

Synapse Wireless partnered with Inline Lighting & Electric Supply to equip the Galaxy of Lights display with a smart, wireless lighting control solution. This application enables automated control and on/off functionality using Synapse’s SimplySNAP lighting controllers. What used to take volunteers hours each night to turn the displays on and off can now be done through an app that is accessible via a smart phone or tablet.

SimplySNAP works by placing a wireless, smart controller in different locations throughout the displays, which are then managed by an onsite Gateway. The Gateway sends and receives data and allows the users to manage and monitor the entire display from a single location.  The technology even lets coordinators know, in real-time, if a particular display is not lighting or responding correctly.  

“We are thrilled to be working alongside the Huntsville Botanical Garden in support of the 2016 Galaxy of Lights display,” said Kathryn Caspar, Vice President & General Manager, Synapse Wireless Smart Lighting. “Our technology is unique in that it enables businesses to directly impact their level of control and operational expense that is associated with traditional lighting applications. We were looking for ways to partner with a local organization to reduce time and money through the use of a lighting control solution –and the Galaxy of Lights made perfect sense. In collaboration with Huntsville-based Inline Lighting & Electric Supply, we were able to provide a control solution that eliminates the need to manually turn on and off each display, reducing the time it takes their volunteers each night. Additionally, adding a control solution reduces the amount of energy consumption used, which cuts down on their utility bill and prolongs the life of the light fixtures. This solution will be in place for many years to come, so hopefully the savings will allow for new exhibits or expansions at the Gardens that the community can look forward to.”

Synapse has recently collaborated with other well-known companies, such as ThingWorx, to highlight how their smart lighting controls can create a foundational network for Smart City applications. 

The Botanical Gardens Galaxy of Lights will be open now until December 31^st.  For more information, please visit http://hsvbg.org/2016/11/21/galaxy-of-lights-2016/