Raleigh, NC: LED City
Raleigh, North Carolina is vying to become the most energy efficient city in the US.
Raleigh has been conducting experiments to see if it can cut energy consumption and maintenance costs by replacing public light fixtures with ones based on the light-emitting diodes used in LED lights. They have started with implementing the changes in parking garages. Because LED lights require less electricity and do not need frequent replacements, the city stands to save a substantial amount of money in the long term. The draw back of the change is that LED lamps do cost more up front.
The mayor of Raleigh has indicated that it is projected that the cost to change to LED lights in the garages would be recovered in savings in two to three years. The change could save over 40 percent of the energy.
Raleigh is looking forward to also replacing the city’s streetlights and other municipal parking lots. In the long-term, stadiums, gymnasiums, schools, parks and other public venues will also be converted. If Raleigh is successful in this endeavor, it could spark other cities to consider this incredible technology for other commercial and residential lighting uses. The LED is already a leader in flashlight, car lamps and headlamp manufacturing and sales.
This is a great turn of events in a country that is long overdue when it comes to seriously considering ways to reduce our energy consumption on a national scale. As the price to manufacture LED fixtures starts to decrease and the cost of energy increases, we should see a big boom in LED home and office fixture availability. If you are building a home in the next year, ask your contractor or electrician about the possibility of incorporating LED lighting into the plans.
June 26th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
[...] The report estimates significant growth in both the mobile device LED market and the display backlighting market. These markets as well as the current outdoor lighting equipment market are currently utilizing LED lights the most heavily though, as this writer has pointed out in previous posts, larger scale home and city lighting are also being explored around the world. It will be interesting to see how our light fixtures, electronics, sporting equipment and appliances evolve over the next ten years as LED lighting technologies is funded and researched. [...]
July 16th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
[...] In February 2007, Raleigh city officials launched an “LED City” program aimed at fostering collaboration among city development groups as they install energy-efficient lighting that will be more cost effective and environmentally friendly to our cities. Raleigh launched the program with LED manufacturer, Cree. [...]
September 8th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
[...] Dialight will be updating 13,400 incandescent units, more than 50,000 of the subways signals, with LED modules. The modules are based on the latest high-flux LED and driver technology which are projected to provide an 85% energy savings to the city (read more about energy savings through LEDs in North Carolina and Toronto). The LEDs brightness levels are also being touted as providing a safer environment for transit workers. [...]
October 18th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
[...] CNN reported today that Ann Arbor, Michigan will be the next city to promote energy-efficient lighting by replacing about 1,400 street lights with eco-friendly light-emitting diode – LED – bulbs. Ann Arbor joines Raleigh, NC and Toronto, Canada in the LED City initiative, both promoted in this blog (see “Raleigh, NC: LED City” and “Toronto becomes second LED City“. Ann Arbor will be the first national city to convert all of its downtown street lights to LED light bulbs. LED light sources use less than half the energy of traditional bulbs, last five times as long and are estimated to save a community like Ann Arbor about $100,000 per year [...]
November 26th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
[...] North Carolina is known for its beautiful nature and its citizens’ love for it. Conservation and preservation are key. You can read more about how North Carolina is going green by reading about Raleigh, North Carolina’s designation as the first “LED City.” These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]