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NASA Imagery Sees Holiday Lights From Space

NASA's Earth Observatory/Jesse Allen
Depicted in dark green are the areas where lights are 50 percent brighter during December.
Satellite imagery shows that nighttime lights can shine 20 to 50 percent brighter in some American cities during the Christmas season.

We know that technology and price can drive electricity demand, but what about culture?

It's the holidays, which means one big change in American energy behavior: lights. Lights everywhere.

"People use energy in order to participate in cultural and social activities," said Eleanor Stokes, a PhD candidate at Yale University. "That context really affects the way people use energy."

Stokes said when it comes to how we use holiday lights on Earth, those changes are noticeable from space. New high-resolution satellite imagery from NASA has found nighttime lights can shine 20 to 50 percent brighter in some American cities during the Christmas season. And the Middle East loves lights too. The month of Ramadan can boost brightness levels in some cities up to 50 percent.

"There's been so much focus on the efficiency of energy provision and so little focus on energy service demand. Like what drives those things on a societal and cultural level? As opposed to the individual level," said Stokes.

Credit NASA's Earth Observatory/Jesse Allen
Lights brighten in several Middle Eastern cities during the holy month of Ramadan. Dark green pixels indicate the areas where lights brightened the most.

Stokes said satellite information about when people use energy should play a bigger role in shaping energy policy.

"Satellite imagery is usually used to map roads or look at farmland. Things that humans have made, but you're not actually seeing them being used, right?" Stokes said. "When we use this new satellite imagery, we're actually seeing the use of different infrastructure at different times."

The data goes beyond just Christmas lights. Going forward, Stokes says she hopes more energy engineers and policy makers will sit down with sociologists -- looking at high resolution satellite images to learn more about how countries, cities, and individual neighborhoods use energy the way they do.

Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. He can be reached at pskahill@ctpublic.org.

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