Dalén light
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The Dalén light was the predominant form of light source in lighthouses from the 1900s through to the 1960s by which time electric lighting had come to dominate. The system was invented Gustaf Dalén and marketed by his company AGA. Dalén would later invent the AGA cooker in 1922. The Dalén light is notable because one particular aspect of its mechanism, the sun valve (aka solar valve), earned its inventor the Nobel prize in physics.
The Carbide lamp was developed in the early 1900s. While the lamps proved useful in many applications, the problem of safely storing acetylene meant they needed regular refilling which constrained their use in applications such as lighthouses.
Lighthouses using Dalén lighting have included:
- Barrenjoey Lighthouse, New South Wales (1932 -1972)
- The Point Stephens Lighthouse,New South Wales (1922 -1960)
- Skerryvore Lighthouse, the Hebrides ( -1959)
- Celarain Lighthouse, Mexico (1934 - )