Cleveland Gets LED Lights from General Electric to Light Up to Landmarks

The City of Cleveland is getting an LED makeover, thanks to a donation of more than $200,000 worth of LED lights courtesy of General Electric Lighting. The new energy-efficient lights will provide illumination to two of the city’s historic landmarks, the West Side Market and Public Square, with the goal of reducing current electricity costs.

The addition of energy-efficient lights coincides with the current sustainability initiative led by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson. He notes that GE’s history of community service in Cleveland and their commitment for innovating technologies in lighting make them the perfect figure to help initiate the city’s sustainability drive.

Initiative Overview

The mayor first launched the initiative in 2009, with the goal of preserving the environment and reducing energy consumption, as well as to promote economic growth through the introduction of sustainable technologies.

Since then, the company has held regular annual summits to tackle different sustainability issues, such as lighting, which was discussed in the earliest of these meetings.

According to Cleveland chief operating officer Darnell Brown, the installation of new LED lights won’t just help make the downtown area brighter and more attractive, it’ll also help reduce maintenance costs. He notes that while conventional lights have a rated lifespan of just 6 to 12 months, LEDs last for decades.

Cleveland Rich in Lighting History

The installation of LEDs in the city is appropriate, given how the City of Cleveland was a leader in street lighting. The city’s Public Square was one of the few areas to get the first electric street lights in the country in 1879.

Likewise, LEDs are a pioneering technology, which GET says generates a more uniform light, less shadows and dark spots associated with conventional fixtures like high-pressure sodium lamps.

Philips Sees Africa as Potential Market for LED Lighting Solutions

Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting solutions, combined with solar power technology, may have the potential to provide cheap light to poor communities all over the world.

According to Philips Lighting Africa marketing manager, John Westermeyer, the combination of LED lighting technology together with solar power solutions paves the way for impoverished communities to finally have access to cheap, perhaps even free, illumination, particularly at night. With LEDs drawing far less power than any other lighting solution on the market, it’s the perfect companion to solar power, which drastically enhances the lifetime of LEDs.

Philips, which used to be the dominant force in the world of electronics, recently shifted its focus towards developing energy solutions. The company is setting its gaze on developing products and systems for developing markets, such as many countries in the African continent.

While Philips lost its top place to South Korean giants Samsung and LG in the LED television market, the company is setting its sights on Africa as an emerging market for LED lighting technologies. LEDs stand out for their superb energy efficiency, using a mere 10 to 20 percent of the electricity used by traditional lights and generating the same lighting power. Moreover, LEDs have a longer lifespan, with some products boasting of ratings of up to 50,000 hours.

As a sign of its commitment to lighting up impoverished communities in Africa, Philips recently launched an off-the-grid electricity programme in Lomshiyo, Mpumalanga. The company also plans to launch a similar project in Cape Town.

Philips ambitious plans, however, have not been without critics. Westermeyer vocally shut down suggestions of the company using the programme as a marketing strategy, saying that the small-scale electrification of communities in Africa with LED lights and solar power is viable and a huge area of focus for Philips.

City Hall Park in Los Angeles Switches to LED Lights

As proof of how aggressive LED lighting has been in the medium-scale to large lighting projects sector, another lighting project has just been completed, this time in the City Hall Park of Los Angeles.

The park surrounding Los Angeles City hall has just been outfitted with multiple LED lights, as part of a medium-scale renovation project that’s estimated to cost around 1 million USD, with the goal of making City Hall more energy efficient.

China’s LED Lighting Market Driven by Desire to Save Money and Energy

According to the China Securities Journal, China’s market for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for commercial applications, such as lighting up establishments like malls and offices, is continually opening up in the country, this despite a number of problems affecting the industry.

Guangzhou Hongli Opto-Electronic Co., Ltd. chairperson Li Guoping, notes that the promotion and adoption of LED lights has so far been the strongest for commercial buildings, malls and business offices. Not surprisingly, this follows a worldwide trend of offices and malls being the first to recognise LEDs for their benefits, despite being more expensive than conventional light sources.

Streetlights in Wiltshire, England may be Shut Down amidst Energy Saving Project Debates

Close to half of all streetlights in the South West England county of Wiltshire may be switched off, as council chiefs in the community debate on the best projects to save energy and money. At least 20,000 lights are at risk for being shut down, leaving many streets all over the county in the dark—that is, if council is unable to find a more sustainable lighting solution.

Lights in Wiltshire may be switched off between the hours of 12 midnight and 5:30 in the early morning in towns and rural areas all over the county. If no solution to this drastic measure is found, Wiltshire stands to become the first local authority in South West England to go from trail switch offs of lights, to a grand-scale shut down of streetlights. For many people in the area, it’s a gloomy return to the pre-Victorian days of total darkness.