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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg The $787B stimulus package signed yesterday in Denver will help fund the new city lights. (nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Clinton-Hails-LAs-shift-to-LED-Street-Lights.html)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/BILL_CLINTON.jpgNBC Los Angeles (nbclosangeles.com) – Feb. 18, 2009

Remember last year about the flak LA's mayor had about his ride (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3317)? -- Ed

Calling it a "great day in Los Angeles," former President Bill Clinton joined Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday in unveiling what is billed as the largest effort by a U.S. city to reduce pollution by retrofitting incandescent street lights with more efficient LEDs or light emitting diodes.

Over a five-year period starting in July, the city will retrofit 140,000 of its residential street lights with LEDs, officials said during City Hall news conference. The project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 40,500 tons and save $10 million annually.

"This is the best place in the world -- in the U.S. at least -- to lead this," Clinton said, citing the city's ongoing environmental efforts. "This is like taking 6,000 cars off the road.

"If every major city followed your lead, we could eliminate 2 1/2 coal-fired power plants."

Villaraigosa hailed the effort, saying it would help make Los Angeles the "cleanest, greenest big city in the U.S. We are building a bridge to a sustainable future."... http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Clinton-Hails-LAs-shift-to-LED-Street-Lights.html

You know, everytime a politican says "it can eliminate X coal-fired pwoer plants", I'd like to see the plants bought and destroyed.

You know, everytime a politican says "it can eliminate X coal-fired pwoer plants", I'd like to see the plants bought and destroyed.

Please don't buy the one I work at!!! I need my JOB!!!!!!!! kevin

Wasn't there also a piece not long ago about the FSP's that almost all of the LA city council members were driving??

Wasn't there also a piece not long ago about the FSP's that almost all of the LA city council members were driving??Yes, see the link at the 1st post on this thread....
...Remember last year about the flak LA's mayor had about his ride (http://cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3317)? -- Ed

No, there was a different piece that named each of the LA council members and listed the cars they drive. I seem to remember that all but one owned some kind of gas hog. It appeared several weeks ago.

Calling it a "great day in Los Angeles," former President Bill Clinton joined Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday in unveiling what is billed as the largest effort by a U.S. city to reduce pollution by retrofitting incandescent street lights with more efficient LEDs or light emitting diodes.

Over a five-year period starting in July, the city will retrofit 140,000 of its residential street lights with LEDs, officials said during City Hall news conference. The project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 40,500 tons and save $10 million annually.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Clinton-Hails-LAs-shift-to-LED-Street-Lights.html


Street lights use low-pressure sodium lamps not incandescent bulbs. On the whole they are the most efficient producing the greatest number of lumens/watt than any other light source. http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Documents/SO1%20Introduction.htm On the other hand, if the journalist was talking about traffic lights then, yes, they do use incandescent bulbs and switching over to LEDs is practical but not ground breaking. Houston has been switching over to LED traffic lights for several years now and they are brighter and clearer to see than the incandescent bulbs they replace. The only downside is that some of the LEDs in the fixtures do wear out giving the traffic lights that hockey player missing tooth effect.

Most of the traffic lights in this sleepy texas town are LED now. And yes, some have the "missing tooth" look, but you can still see them better than the old ones.

Isn't it current spikes that knock out some of the LEDs in the fixture?

Street lights use low-pressure sodium lamps not incandescent bulbs. On the whole they are the most efficient producing the greatest number of lumens/watt than any other light source. http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Documents/SO1%20Introduction.htm

No longer completely true. Low-pressure sodium produces 100-200lm/W.
The latest LED info I could quickly find shows upper efficiencies of 165lm/W. That was a demonstration and not a production lamp, but that was also 2006.

Of greater importanace is the relatively short life of low-pressure sodium, which should be replaced every 2 to 3 years verse the 20+ expected years for the LEDs. Even if LEDs required slightly more power, the primary cost savings is in the number of lamps purchases (1 LED vs 4 to 10 sodium) and the manpower to replace those lamps so frequently

Curiously, isn't this a job elimination program as number of jobs will be reduced once they are all swapped.

No longer completely true. Low-pressure sodium produces 100-200lm/W.
The latest LED info I could quickly find shows upper efficiencies of 165lm/W. That was a demonstration and not a production lamp, but that was also 2006.

I think one could speculate that the LED replacements might not need the same lumen output for a streetlight replacement as they are very directional and only need to send light downward from their elevated position. A lot of light gets wasted by the conventional bulb style that sends light where it doesn't need to go. This may be where a significant portion of the savings comes from.

...Curiously, isn't this a job elimination program as number of jobs will be reduced once they are all swapped.

But those are future job losses. We should be out of today's crisis by the time this swapping is done :-)

The program is supposed to save $10M per year, but I didn't see a figure for how much this program costs now, to compute a cost-benefit ratio.

It's great to hear they are doing it but why do they make it sound like it is groundbreaking news? Most of the traffic lights in San Antonio are LED already.

It's great to hear they are doing it but why do they make it sound like it is groundbreaking news? Most of the traffic lights in San Antonio are LED already.

Street lights, not traffic lights.

http://news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=2524

Here is a link to show you what is possible with Led's.

Led lumen output diminishes over time, unlike a bulb it won't one day just burn out.

A burned out LED due to surge is unlikely, all the LED's are seeing the same voltage.
You are probably seeing the weak ones or ones that received ESD damage prior to assembly in the finished product. They are usually connected in a parallel string.

I do know that you have to heatsink them very well, otherwise their lifetime is shortened.