Oyster Bay, New York has installed 2500 out of a planned 4000 LEDway solid-state lighting (SSL) street lights from Cree Lighting, with the project ultimately planned to cover 750 roadway miles. The Commonwealth Utilities Corp in the Mariana Islands has installed 1000 LED lights, providing critical energy savings with limited power generation on the islands. And Ashburnham, Massachusetts starts small with LEDs, but reports improved light quality.
Oyster Bay is using $2 million in Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funds from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to in part pay for its LED lighting project. The project encompasses 10% of the town's inventory of high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights yet will ultimately save the municipality $200,000 annually.
The town chose the LEDway lights for a number of reasons including the fact that they have a 100,000-hr projected lifetime equating to more than 20 years of usage in typical scenarios. The town had realized five to seven years of life with HPS lights. The LEDway lights are also made in the US, and are qualified for the EECBG program.
"LED lights have made huge strides regarding energy savings and life span," said Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto. "These new LED lights will save 50 percent of the amount of energy consumed by the previous HPS bulbs. By replacing 10 percent of the existing HPS street lights within the Town, the Town stands to save $200,000 annually on our electric bill and maintenance costs."
Mariana Islands get LED
It's not just US states, and cities within those states, that have received federal funding for SSL projects. According to the Marianas Variety newspaper, funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has also been used on an LED project in the unincorporated territories of Saipan, Tinian, and Rona in the Mariana Islands.
The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. electric utility has retrofitted more than 1000 HPS lights already, and plans to expand the project given the high cost of energy and lack of generating capability in the islands. The utility has been replacing 250W HPS lamps with 140W LED luminaires.
Grant funds disappear
Alas, the government grant funds are disappearing in the US and in other locations around the globe. Increasingly, municipalities will have to make a commitment to the SSL investment strictly based on long-term electricity and energy savings. In addition, better quality light can help justify the project.
The small town of Ashburnham, Massachusetts provides a good example of the next phase of SSL deployments as municipalities buy small quantities of lights for evaluation with larger long-term goals. According to the local Sentinel and Enterprise newspaper, Ashburnham is starting with 21 LED luminaires purchased for $6000.
The energy savings in Ashburnham will be modest as 75W LED lights replaced 100W HPS lights. But the town says that police officers in particular are pleased with the improved visibility. Assuming the lights perform well over the winter, the town will consider broader deployment.
