It’s reported that Officials with Raleigh and Progress Energy are testing nine energy-efficient streetlights downtown to determine how well they withstand extreme heat, cold and rain. The last of the nine experimental lamps was installed Tuesday in front of Progress' downtown office tower on Davie Street. If the lights live up to their promise, they could take a significant bite out of Raleigh's $5.3 million annual streetlight bill.
Built with LEDs, they are said to last at least twice as long as conventional bulbs while using about 40 percent less energy. The technology was developed by LED maker Cree, a Durham company that makes the tiny chips for cell phones, computers and signs, and sees a big payoff in revolutionizing the lighting market.
Robert Henderson, Progress' lighting specialist in charge of the LED project said that may be the future. Progress hopes to start offering the new lights to municipalities on a limited basis as early as next year. The downside is that each streetlight fixture currently costs about $500. That's compared with $70 for a conventional fixture.
One of the aesthetic benefits of the new design is that it doesn't cast a harsh glare in all directions and instead directs light at the street below. The LED fixtures are immediately recognizable from the street because, instead of a bulbous glass lens, they are equipped with a sleek, flat surface dotted with 60 tiny LED lamps arranged in a geometric pattern.
It’s known that Raleigh is one of a growing number of cities nationwide moving to the LED streetlights. If the LED streetlights perform well, they could eventually replace all 201,000 streetlights Progress Energy maintains throughout the Carolinas, Henderson said. But for that to happen, the lights will have to be field-tested for many years to verify their life span -- and economic benefit -- isn't cut short by harsh weather. A standard streetlight lasts about five to six years before it has to be replaced. An LED streetlight is said to last at least 12 1/2 years and as long as 25 years.
Progress charges governments a fee for maintaining light fixtures, replacing bulbs and supplying the electricity they use. Raleigh is the utility's biggest customer with 33,000 streetlights. Progress could charge less for the lights because they require less maintenance.
