The Climate Group and LightSavers Canada released the final report on 14 global trials of LED outdoor lighting at the Brighter Tomorrow conference and said that LED-street lights delivered average energy savings of 58% and savings as high as 70%. The organization also issued a report on solid-state lighting (SSL) projects that it is shepherding in India with the support of the British High Commission.
The LightSavers trials included installations of LED lighting in different cities around the globe using 29 different LED luminaires over the course of 2009-2012. We've previously reported on a number of the individual trials, including in stories on our sister LEDs Magazinewebsite. Examples include a project in Caledon, Canada (near Toronto), and a New York City project completed in conjunction with the US Department of Energy (DOE). Other locations include London, Sydney, and Hong Kong.
The goal of the program was to test LED-based outdoor lighting in a variety of different climates and to compare SSL with conventional technologies – often high-pressure sodium lighting. The Climate Group undertook the project in conjunction with the Toronto Atmospheric Fund with the realization that LEDs could deliver significant energy savings in street lights than operate over a long time period every night.
"Almost a fifth of global electricity is used for lighting, so cutting lighting energy by half would eliminate CO2 emissions equivalent to taking a third of the world’s passenger vehicles off the road," said Jim Walker, The Climate Group’s international programs and strategy director.
According to the final report, almost a third of the products tested delivered energy savings of 70% or more. The project encompassed a total of 553 fixtures and only ten of those failed during the lengthy test period.
Over the course of the trials, LED products offered superior color stability compared with legacy sources. Moreover 16 of the products demonstrated a slight increase in lumen output over the course of the initial 4000-6000 hrs of operation.
Subjective testing was positive as well. Volunteers that participated in public surveys felt strongly that the LED lights made them feel safer. And the products generally met municipal lighting standards around the globe.
You can read the full report on the Climate Group website.
India projects
Meanwhile, in India The Climate Group has completed or begun LED street light projects in the cities of Haldia, Thane, Burdwan, and Cuttack. The organization works with local authorities and municipalities to plan and execute the projects, and is attempting to establish an ESCO (Energy Service Company)-like financing mechanism that will make LEDs available to more cities in the region.
The Haldia Development Authority has already installed 1020 LED fixtures saving 70,000 kWh monthly -- a savings of INR 500,000 (about $9200). In Thane, The Climate Group worked with the Thane Municipal Corporation, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency to install 310 LED street lights that are delivering a 47% reduction in energy usage. Projects are underway in Burdwan and Cuttack. For more details see the more-in-depth article on the India project on our LEDs Magazine website.
