StreetLightNews

Japanese company Sharp is now launching a solar-powered streetlight. Combining Sharp’s own solar modules and long-life, white LEDs, the Japanese company presents the environmentally friendly streetlight solution of the 21st century. The unit delivers brightness at the highest level; still the unit does not produce any light pollution, uses no mercury, and emits no ultraviolet light.

Storage batteries charge from sunlight during the day and shines automatically at night. The level of maintenance is minimal as Sharp’s solution only requires replacement once every 10 years.

One of the extra benefits that especially cities in earthquake zones will enjoy is the built-in seismic motion sensor. This feature enables the unit to detect any earthquake measuring five or higher on the Japanese Seismic Intensity Scale. When detected, the unit will turn on full brightness at nighttime hours for at least two days.

Initially, the solution will be available on the Japanese market. In Europe, the European Union applaudes companies who commit to the reudction of light pollution. Thus, the EU GreenLight Programme has been developed to involve public and private organisations in upgrading their lighting systems to reduce light pollution. Well-known B2C companies such as McDonald’s and Nike have been awarded partner status, while international operating B2B companies such as Amplex A/S and Reverberi Enetec are awarded the endorser status.

A recent article in Washington Post describes how streetlights are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. The newspaper quotes Robert Grow, director of government relations at the Greater Washington Board of Trade, for estimating an annual reduction of 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions if the 10 largest metropolitan areas of the US switch to a centralized solution and LED streetlights. This is equivalent to taking 212,000 cars off the roads and save an additional 90 million taxpayer dollars annually.

In his report on streetlight savings, Grow recommends a centrally controlled streetlight solution with dimming and optimized maintenance functionalities.

According to the Post, Grow was surprised that more hasn’t been done already to improve the efficieincy of streetlight.

As previously described in this blog, the most efforts have been made in the town of Ann arbor, Mich. where all streetlights have been converted to LEDs.

Centralized streetlight solutions are offered by companies such as US-based Echelon with installations in e.g. Oslo, Norway, and Danish company Amplex with installations in e.g. Scandinavia, the United Arab Emirates and Asia.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, city officials are experimenting with LEDs for streetlight.

The US company Relume Technologies has provided 12 LEDs for a pilot project which will cut a significant part of the consumption and maintenance bills.

Other North American cities to test LEDs for streetlight are Ann Arbor, Raleigh, N.C. and Toronto, Canada.

See more at the Grand Rapids Press. 

There seems to be a trend towards energy savings being used as branding for American cities. More and more are implementing solutions that lower energy consumption, and then use this in their marketing strategy. Whatever works!
In Yakima, Washington, LEDs are replacing both traffic signal lamps and traditional 200 Watt HPS lamps. Initial results show savings of over 50%. The 100 Watt LEDs provide ultra-white lights with good color rendering. Also, the new lamps lowers light polution and has a 15-year product life. Read the full article on SmartMoney.com.
As described in a previous entry, similar projects are under way, e.g. in Ann Arbor where they are planning on becoming the first American city to convert 100% of their street light to LEDs. See more here…

Replacing standard street light with new high output LEDs will save 50% energy and they will last more than 10 years. They are maintenance-free, contain no hazardous material such as gases or mercury, and they are dark sky compliant, meaning that their light is focused on the area where it is needed, and not wasted into the night sky.
At the upcoming American Public Works Association event in San Antonio, September 9-12, these new LEDs will be showcased by the company inventing the new effective street light - IntenCity Ligthing.
The new high output LED uses only 75 watts, but produces 3200 lumens. See more here…

The Institution of Lighting Engineers, ILE, has an interesting website with news, upcoming events, etc. It provides information on all forms of interior and exterior lighting, including sports, road, flood, emergency, tunnel, security and festive lighting. Check out their website at http://www.ile.org.uk/

The Canadian company, Pure-Tek Earth, has designed a solar powered LED street light where the switch, converter, controller, the wiring and the solar battery fit into a metal box that is mounted on the individual street light pole.
Pure-Tek Earth describes on their website how the solution can save thousands of dollars in electrical costs and save the world from one ton of CO2 emission per light, per year.
There is no mentioning of centralized control of the street lights, so it is unclear whether this is an option. Also, the ROI is not described, perhaps because it is unreasonably long? Equipping every single street light with both solar batteries, controllers, switches, etc. must be rather costly.

In Hanoi, Vietnam, the street light installations are outdated and not very energy efficient. Also, many of the poles are placed in the center of the road where they do not do pedestrians much good.
Therefore, the plan is to change 1,000 11-meter concrete poles with 9-meter aluminum ones. Furthermore, almost 2,000 bulbs will be replaced with energy-efficient bulbs (LEDs?). If the plan is approved, the lights will be changed by 2010 for the city’s 1,000-year anniversary. Read the article…

The city of Ann Arbor expects to spend $640,000 on new LED street lights which are expected to pay for themselves over the next 4.2 years in energy savings.

In a press release from Philips, their new energy-efficient LEDs, CosmoPolis, are praised as a breakthrough in reducing the environmental impact of street lights. The LEDs emit white light and are said to provide greater safety through increased visibility. They have been installed in a residential area and are expected to decrease power consumption by 10% compared to high-pressure sodium lamps, without compromising the lighting performance.
Compared to conventional street lights, the new installation provides a better, whiter light which can be pointed more directly to the streets, avoiding pollution of night skies. So far, CosmoPolis has been adapted by 50 European cities.
While Philips boasts about the fast payback of the LEDs, there is no information about the control of the street lights. At one time, Philips put a lot of time and effort into a centralized control system for street lights, however, such a system is not mentioned in the press release.A centralized solution makes even more sense to install after LEDs have become prevalent. LEDs typically last for 12 years when being lit for 11-12 hours per day. With high reliability, bulb changes can be based on the number of burn hours. A centralized system can easily keep track of the amount of hours the street lights have been turned on. Read more here…