GE Lighting has supplied LED streetlights for a major roadway lighting project in Baguio City, the Philippines, both slashing energy and maintenance costs and improving the lighting. Bath, England is installing solid-state lighting (SSL) along the A4 roadway. The Ausgrid utility in Australia is undertaking LED projects across 41 town councils. And Horsham, Pennsylvania is replacing obsolete streetlights with LED-based fixtures.

Baguio City streets

Baguio City is both a major summer tourist destination and a center of educational institutions in the Philippines, and city officials are revitalizing the city through a formalized Clean & Green Environment program. As part of that initiative, the city previously installed LED lighting in Burnham Park and Chinese Garden, and now has moved to retrofit roadway lighting along a 3-km section of Kennon Road, which links Baguio City to the lowland town of Rosario.

GE recommended the 157W LED R150 Pro fixture for the roadway project. The SSL fixtures use 37% less energy than HID alternatives that deliver equivalent light. Baguio City projects that it will save $212,400 each year in energy and maintenance, and also said that the energy reduction was equivalent to elimination of 398,000 kg of carbon emissions each year.

Still, city officials would not have made the transition to LED sources without an upgrade in lighting quality. The city said that the new fixtures produce no uplight. Moreover, the lighting is largely glare free given the combination of reflector optics and LED placement in the fixtures. The city said the lighting offers a more vibrant and modern look and is therefore a good investment in terms of maximizing visitor experiences in the city.

"GE recognizes the importance of a sound and thriving environment as a major element in promoting tourism," said Vince Adorable, GE Lighting country manager for the Philippines. "This initiative with the local government of Baguio is one of the many lighting projects in the country that GE participates in. It is geared towards creating better, safer, and cleaner communities through products that are ecologically sensitive and at the same time, cost-effective."

Bath, England streetlights

In the UK, meanwhile, the town of Bath is installing LED lighting along portions of the A4 roadway than runs between London and Avonmouth, according to the Now Bath website. The town is replacing lights that are nearing the end of their service life.

The project involves 4,000 fixtures. The Bath & North East Somerset Council is projecting annual savings of GBP 200,000 per year initially and an additional GBP 50,000 per year in the future due to lower maintenance costs. The project is also taking advantage of adaptive-control technology to lower light levels and enhance efficiency when little traffic is on the road late at night.

Ausgrid LED project

Moving down under, the Ausgrid utility in Australia, which owns 250,000 streetlights and maintains that inventory for 41 town councils, is beginning a major LED retrofit after testing the technology for a year and a half. According to the news.com.au website, councils across Sydney, the Central Coast, and Hunter will get SSL.

The lengthy test period was intended to ensure that the LED lights could withstand harsh Australian conditions. Eight locations totaling 62 lights proved out the technology and energy savings totaled a 70% reduction during the trial.

Horsham township

Of course, smaller projects are popping up everywhere these days, and Horsham Township, Pennsylvania is one of the latest such projects. The Hatboro-Horsham Patch reported that 64 lights will be converted to LEDs this year. That relatively small project is projected to save $2,200 annually.

The town was forced to contemplate a streetlight project because many of the existing lights were obsolete. But the town council considered other energy-efficient technologies such as induction before settling on LED lights