The City of Raleigh improves energy efficiency and conservation by installing Cree® LEDway® streetlights.
Opportunity
The City of Raleigh and Progress Energy are working together to reduce the amount of energy consumed by the city’s streetlights. As part of Raleigh’s LED City initiative, the Project Energy pilot tests the performance and energy-efficiency of LEDway® luminaries in a realistic environment.
Solution
Nine LEDway® streetlights were upgraded in front of Progress Energy’s corporate headquarters where they will be monitored for up to nine months. Data collected from the program will determine any additional LEDway® streetlights that will be upgraded throughout the City in 2009.
“This is an example of the kind of innovation that will be needed to help us achieve greater energy efficiency,” said Lloyd Yates, president and CEO of Progress Energy Carolinas. “Efficiency and conservation are an important part of our balanced solution.”
Benefit
LEDway® streetlights have a life rating four times greater than the previous 250-watt high-pressure sodium lamps and save up to 50 percent in energy costs. Since LEDway® streetlights require virtually no maintenance, the City will gain additional savings from not having to relamp or replace fixtures.
Other benefits include a whiter light and superior uniformity and control that improve visibility to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
“Our early findings indicate that with the brightness of these lights, you don’t have as much shadowing or the degradation of lighting between fixtures,” said Yates. “The lights are bright enough to light the whole distance between fixtures, which is different than traditional streetlights.”
“As we look forward, the City has more than 32,000 streetlights which we hope can switch to clearer light like LEDway® streetlights, that are brighter and more directional, uses less energy and is easier to maintain,” said Raleigh’s Mayor Charles Meeker.
The City of Raleigh has already embraced LED technology for parking garage and pathway applications. Installing LED for street and roadway applications is the next natural step and one of the City’s biggest opportunities to save money.
