News

27 November 2009

 

Boston joins LED City program as it trials LED streetlights

As part of the continuing effort of its mayor Thomas M. Menino to ‘green’ the city’s operations, Boston in Massachusetts has recently explored the use of LED lighting for public spaces, sidewalks and roadways through the installation of a demonstration project that has upgraded streetlights with LED technology. This includes installing LED lights on Boston Common (beginning near the Brewer Fountain near Park Street and continuing along the Mayor’s Walk to the Public Garden) as part of an effort to showcase the technology and to solicit community input (submitting via www.CityofBoston.Gov/LED or Twittering ‘BostonLED’).

The temporary installation (which will be in place through the end of the year) features ‘acorn’-style street lamps (three each from six different manufacturers: Lumec Lighting Company, Hadco Lighting, Sternberg Lighting, Osram Sylvania Company, King Luminaire Company and Spring City Electrical Company). 

Already, in a program begun nearly ten years ago by the Boston Transportation Department, more than 11,000 traffic signals and 1800 pedestrian crossing lights were gradually replaced with LEDs, saving the city nearly $400,000 annually in energy costs.

“We’re really pleased that LED technology has been coming down in price and going up in terms of quality and the range of applications,” says Bryan Glascock, commissioner of the Boston Environment Department. “In the coming months we’ll be working with the city’s Street Lighting Division to find more opportunities to try out LED technology in our neighborhoods.” The city is in the process of identifying sites for temporary installation of ‘cobra head’-style street lights.

Boston operates and maintains more than 67,000 streetlights throughout the city. These generate 24,000 tons of carbon emissions annually (about 8% of all municipal emissions). Conversion to LED technology would cut that by about half, it is reckoned.

“Once again, Boston is demonstrating how advanced technology can improve service quality, reduce operating costs, and protect our environment,” says Jim Hunt, chief of Environment and Energy for the City of Boston. “Deploying this type of innovative technology further enhances Boston’s reputation as one of the greenest cities in America,” he claims.  

Menino also announced that Boston has joined the LED City program, an international community of government and industry parties initiated by LED maker Cree Inc of Durham, NC, USA in December 2006 to evaluate, deploy and promote LED lighting for municipal infrastructure. Boston joins existing program members Raleigh, NC, Ann Arbor, MI, Austin, TX, Anchorage, AK, Indian Wells, CA, Fairview, TX and Danville, VI in the USA; Toronto and Welland in Canada; Tianjin and Huizhou in China; Gwangju in South Korea; and Torraca and Apecchio in Italy.

See related item:

Cree buys plant in China; Huizhou joins LED City program

Search: Cree LEDs LED City

Visit: www.cityofboston.gov/environment/LED

Visit: www.ledcity.org