Quote :

"DETROIT, Michigan (AP) -- How many Ann Arbor city workers does it take to screw in a light bulb? Soon, none. Instead, they will be installing light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, to replace about 1,400 street lights. The eco-friendly city about 30 miles west of Detroit says it will be the nation's first to convert all downtown street lights to LED technology, which uses less than half the energy of traditional bulbs and could save the community $100,000 a year. "LEDs pay for themselves in four years," said Mayor John Hieftje, who announced the city's plans this week as it joined Raleigh, NC and Toronto in the LED City initiative, an industry-government group working to evaluate, deploy and promote LED lighting. "They provide the same light, but they last 10 years. We had to replace the old ones every two years." LEDs, small chips usually encased in a glass dome the size of a matchstick head, have been used in electronics for decades. They usually gave off red or green light, but a scientific breakthrough in the 1990s paved the way for LEDs that produce white light. Lighting consumes 22 percent of the electricity produced in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, and widespread use of LED technology could cut consumption in half. Hieftje said Ann Arbor's lighting conversion will reduce the city's production of carbon dioxide and gases that contribute to global warming in an amount equal to taking 400 cars off the road. The two-year project is being funded by a $630,000 grant from the city's Downtown Development Authority. Greg Merritt, director of corporate marketing at Durham, North Carolina-based Cree Inc., which is making the components inside Ann Arbor's new lights, acknowledged LEDs can be costly. But "as we improve the technology, the economics make sense for more and more applications," he said "

10/19/2007 9:07:26 AM

When did we get LED's?

10/19/2007 9:08:07 AM

makes sense

especially with cree right down the road

10/19/2007 9:13:43 AM

Not sure who's doing it, but I read an article a while back about how they were testing LED's in parking garage lights in Raleigh to see if it conserved a reasonable amount of energy.

10/19/2007 9:18:43 AM

News
July 10, 2007

"LED City" Results In Savings For Raleigh



The City of Raleigh is realizing savings in energy and maintenance costs from a pilot project that uses new lighting technology in the parking garage at the Avery C. Upchurch Government Complex. The 141 fixtures using light emitting diode (LED) technology were installed on the third level of the municipal garage in January.

According to a “LED City” report by the City of Raleigh and Cree Inc., the LED fixtures are projected to produce electricity savings of 46,720 kilowatt-hours per year, or about 40 percent of the lighting energy load. This equates to $2,803 of savings per year based on current energy rates. Progress Energy, Raleigh’s primary electric utility provider, worked with the City and Cree to validate the energy savings.

In addition to energy savings, the City and Cree also reported substantial savings in maintenance costs due to the longer life span of the LED fixtures. These savings are projected to be $3,325 per year, the report said.

The LED-based lighting fixtures were installed on the third level of the Upchurch Government Complex parking garage as part of the first LED City initiative between the City of Raleigh and Cree Inc. to save tax dollars and protect the environment. Installation of the LED lights in the parking garage was complete on Jan. 11. The hope is that the initiative between the City and Cree will serve as a model for other cities that are considering implementing energy-efficient infrastructures.

Cree Inc., based in the Triangle, produces LEDs that provide a new source of energy-efficient light that can serve as the foundation for cost-effective lighting solutions. Lighting Science Group Corporation of Dallas supplied the LED fixtures installed in the Upchurch Government Complex parking garage. Most of the fixtures are never turned off, keeping the garage’s third level lit 24 hours a day. The LED lights on the perimeter of the garage are on at night but turned off in the daytime when natural lighting is adequate.

The initial investment to install the LED fixtures in the municipal parking garage was $42,300, according to the LED City report. Savings in maintenance and energy costs from the LED technology will yield a payback during year seven of the pilot project if these savings continue to increase yearly as expected, by approximately 3 percent. As for the LED fixtures that are turned off in the daytime, the City will continue to realize energy and maintenance for an additional five years, or up to 12 years after the fixtures were first installed.

Citizens also are impressed with the LED light fixtures in the Upchurch Government Complex parking garage. According to survey results released in March, the number of respondents who perceived the garage as “very safe” increased by 76 percent after the LED fixtures were installed in the garage. Furthermore, the proportion of respondents indicating the lighting quality in the parking garage is “excellent” increased from 24 percent prior to installation of the LED fixtures to 86 percent after installation. This supports industry research that the quality of light in the garage is greatly improved with the LED fixtures compared to more traditional lighting. Unlike other more common lighting technologies, LED light sources do not contain harmful lead or mercury, further protecting the environment.

The success of the LED pilot project in the Upchurch Government Complex parking garage coupled with rapid improvements in LED technology have prompted the City to put LED fixtures in its new underground parking garage on the south end of Fayetteville Street. The first phase of the underground garage is currently under construction and will have 900 parking spaces when it is complete in 2008. The LED fixtures that will be used in this initial phase are projected to save the City more than $75,000 in energy and maintenance costs in the first year alone.




Prepared by:
John Boyette
Public Affairs Specialist
Public Affairs Department





[Edited on October 19, 2007 at 9:25 AM. Reason : [Edited on October 19, 2007 at 9:23 AM. Reason : not as old as i though]]

10/19/2007 9:20:49 AM

philly did all their red lights (as in, just the red portion of a traffic signal) a few years ago, and are pushing to do them all now. at the time, colors other than red in leds were expensive

around my place in delaware, i can only recall a few that aren't all led.

10/19/2007 9:21:25 AM

Quote :

"parties working to evaluate, deploy and promote LED lighting technology across the full range of municipal infrastructure to Save energy Protect the environment Reduce maintenance costs Provide better light quality for improved visibility and safety According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 22 percent of electricity used in the U.S. powers lighting. In a world with soaring energy prices based on the availability and control of fossil fuels, and with growing concern about sustainability of the environment, a revolution in lighting is long overdue. Light emitting diodes, called LEDs, are revolutionizing lighting. Switching to LED-based lighting can save 40 to 70 percent of the electricity a city uses for certain lighting applications such as parking garage, parking lot, outdoor public area, street and portable lighting. In addition to helping protect the environment by reducing electricity consumption of lighting, LEDs, due to their long service life, also reduce the amount of material going into landfills (i.e., light bulbs). Furthermore, LEDs, unlike some traditional light sources, don't contain hazardous mercury or lead. According to the Department of Energy, in the next 20 years rapid adoption of LED lighting in the U.S. can: Reduce electricity demands from lighting by 62 percent. Eliminate 258 million metric tons of carbon emissions. Avoid building 133 new power plants. Anticipate financial savings that could exceed $115 billion. Join the LED Lighting Revolution by becoming an LED City participant. "

10/19/2007 9:22:06 AM

^^more like you can only recall a few that aren't all laid

you gigolo

[Edited on October 19, 2007 at 9:23 AM. Reason : Ø]

10/19/2007 9:22:53 AM

10/19/2007 9:25:47 AM

Raleigh is not eco-friendly

this is only because of Cree

it is a good step, though







Greensboro and Charlotte got their 96-gallon city-issued recycle-cans over 15 years ago

(the kind you roll to the street, just like the 96-gallon trash-cans.....)

Raleigh still doesn't have these

instead

we get one 16 gallon bin ($6 for another)

that we have to carry while beer and rainwater drip out on your legs

and since the holes aren't drilled in the very bottom, water for mosquitoes is ample

Raleigh is pathetic

10/19/2007 9:31:13 AM

yeah you see a lot of the mixed lights around here, red leds, yellow leds, and either white behind a green filter or the standard halogen behind green filter... then you also see the all led ones...

10/19/2007 9:36:48 AM

this is [oldddddddddd]

ever been in the parking deck next to the old government complex? those lights have been there for like a while now

10/19/2007 10:39:51 AM