In a recent lightED feature article entitled, “Looking Directly at the Light,” tED Publisher Scott Costa addressed the potential growth of the LED industry and stressed the importance of staying ahead of the curve. Specifically mentioned in the feature was the following retrofit project.
Siemens has been chosen by the City of Knoxville, Tenn. to retrofit nearly 30,000 streetlights with new energy efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The retrofit is slated to cut the City’s streetlight operation budget in half by saving $2 million annually in energy and maintenance costs. With these savings, the investment is expected to pay for itself in less than ten years.
“Our nearly 30,000 streetlights are one of City government’s largest energy users, accounting for nearly 40 percent of our total municipal electricity consumption,” said City of Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero in her 2017 State of the City address.
“These new LED lights, over 50 percent more efficient than those currently installed throughout Knoxville, will not only provide residents with better visibility and safer streets, but will significantly reduce the impact lighting has the city’s bottom line,” said Marcus Welz, CEO of Siemens Intelligent Traffic Systems. “Infrastructure improvements like this are excellent ways for cities across the country to improve quality of life for their citizens, save a significant amount in energy costs and meet their sustainability goals.”
The new LEDs will give off whiter light, improve visibility for residents, and will help the city in its efforts to reduce municipal greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020. Siemens will provide turn-key design and installation services for the project, including testing and demonstration. Once the design phase is complete, Siemens expects to begin installation across the city in Spring 2018. The project is slated for completion by mid-2019.
Tagged with Knoxville, lightED, Siemens, street lighting, Tennessee