Greentech Lead America: Ninety five percent of cities and
municipalities that have implemented Light-Emitting Diode (LED) streetlight
projects are satisfied with overall performance of street lights, according to
a new survey “United States Smart Infrastructure: LED and Smart Street
Lighting” published today by Washington, DC-based research firm Northeast
Group.
“LED streetlights are transforming cities and
municipalities across the US,” said Northeast Group. “Not only are
LEDs helping save money through reduced energy and maintenance costs, but 95
percent of the cities and municipalities we surveyed said both they and
residents were very happy with the performance and light quality of the new
streetlights.”
“Many reported that law enforcement officials in
particular had praised the lights for improving visibility and public safety.
The success of these LED projects is also helping to set the stage for more
advanced ‘smart’ street lighting systems, which will reduce energy consumption
by a further 20-30 percent,” according to Northeast Group. “In total, the LED
and smart street lighting markets are expected to reach a cumulative $4.7
billion in the US by 2025.”
The firm surveyed nearly 100 cities and municipalities
across the US that have implemented some form of LED streetlight
initiatives. The results were published today in the new study
“United States Smart Infrastructure: LED and Smart Street Lighting.”
The LED market in the country also faces some challenges.
The survey revealed that 45 percent of the respondents had funded their LED
streetlight projects almost entirely with stimulus funding from the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). A further 36 percent relied on ARRA
funding or other grants for at least a portion of their financing.
As this stimulus funding recedes, financing for future
LED streetlight projects has been more difficult to secure, despite the success
of early projects. However, the price of LED streetlights is steadily falling
and on track to hit parity with legacy technology within a few years. As a
result, the payback period for these projects is becoming more favorable and
within the reaches of budget-constrained cities and municipalities.
As the LED streetlight business case continues to
improve, the number of projects is expected to expand rapidly in the coming
years, according to the report.
“Smart streetlights are the logical next step,”
according to Northeast Group. “Current pilot projects such as
in Chattanooga, Tennessee have demonstrated that smart streetlights
improve safety while lowering costs. As more cities invest in LED streetlights
and smart grid infrastructure, smart streetlights will help cities further
reduce energy consumption. A majority of the cities in our survey were
interested in pursuing smart streetlight systems in the future.”