The Vegas marquees may be breathtaking but it is the new LED streetlights that will really light up the city.
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - May 10, 2012
Can you guess which area of this Las Vegas intersection is being lit with GE LEDs?
The Vegas Strip is famous for its brightly lit marquees and display screens but thanks to new LED fixtures from GE, the city’s streets will be lit far more efficiently. Vegas is expected to receive a $1.7 million annual energy cost windfall simply by reducing the electricity its uses by more than 20 million kilowatt hours (kWhs).
Nearly 6,600 GE Evolve LED Roadway fixtures have already replaced mercury vapor and high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights on arterial streets and residential thoroughfares throughout Las Vegas. As a result, the city will consume approximately 2.2 million fewer kWhs this year, equating to $175,000 in energy savings.
This spring, Las Vegas will launch the second phase of its street lighting update, installing 35,000 additional Evolve LED Roadway fixtures. Stage-two utility savings alone will exceed $1.5 million a year by diminishing electricity use by more than 18 million kWhs.
Once complete, more than 80 percent of Las Vegas’ 50,000 streetlights will be LED.
The Real Savings is Less Maintenance
According to GE, the previous streetlights lasted about four years whereas its Evolve Roadway LEDs have an estimated life of 11 plus years based on 12 hours use per day. Las Vegas estimates this will yield an additional $1 million cost benefit, bringing combined annual energy and maintenance savings to $2.7 million. The more natural white light produced by the LEDs improves visibility on streets markedly.
Las Vegas City Manager Elizabeth N. Fretwell:
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"People who don't live in Southern Nevada may not think of Las Vegas when they talk about the environment and energy efficiency, but the truth is our city is a leader in these areas."
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Ok, maybe the city is but the gaming industry? Not really. It’s a desert after all.
The Project
The Las Vegas lighting project was opened to public bid in late 2010 and allowed for all types of illumination technologies. Design Concepts, Inc. (DCI), GE Lighting’s authorized Las Vegas representative agency, met with city officials to discuss the advantages of an LED solution. Among many different competitors and technology offerings, GE was selected as one of five finalists to participate in an extended trial that concluded in March 2011.
GE hit all the targets posed by the city with an efficient fixture that yields up to a 60 percent reduction in energy consumption compared to standard high-intensity discharge (HID) systems.
In April 2011, GE was awarded the contract for the first 6,600 fixtures. In early 2012, the city proceeded with phase two of the lighting update with an additional 35,000 fixtures. The complete project represents
the largest roadway lighting contract in GE Lighting’s history!
By transitioning to more than 41,000 GE LED Roadway fixtures over the next year, Las Vegas will remove more than 12,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere annually. This is equivalent to eliminating the CO2 emissions of more than 2,300 passenger cars or to planting more than 3,200 acres of trees.
GEs Evolve LED Roadway fixtures are designed to meet recommended luminance and illuminance requirements for local and major highway and street classifications. Advanced reflective optic technology effectively directs light where it’s needed, improves horizontal and vertical uniformity and reduces glare. A refined thermal management system incorporates a robust heat sink directly in the fixture to ensure maximum heat transfer for long LED life. These energy-efficient fixtures can also be paired with programmable dimming options for even greater control and savings.
I do not think I can add much more to the PR other than to say way to go Vegas and thanks GE! Now if we could only get the hotels and casino’s to reduce their consumption significantly, we would really have something.
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