The streets light in Pittsburgh, Pa are beginning to have a different glow. The city of Pittsburgh intends to replace its 40,000 street lights with light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures over the next five to ten years. When fully implemented the project is expected to save annually an estimated $1.7 million (70% savings) in energy and maintenance costs. In addition the conversion will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by almost 7 million metric tons annually. In May of 2008, half of the streetlights on Walnut Street, in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood, were replaced with new LED lights as a pilot project. The lights used in this test were provided free of cost by Leotek and the installation was funded by Councilman Peduto’s office. By conducting such a test, the City was able to collect feedback from residents and business owners in a small portion of the City before considering a wider rollout. Residents were able to stand in the middle of a commercial district and see the new LED lights in one direction and the older high pressure sodium lights in the opposite direction. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and further studies showed that the City could save millions of dollars a year and significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions were the LED conversion to be carried out Citywide. In December 2010, the City engaged the Remaking Cities Institute (RCI) of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to undertake a proof of concept research project to investigate best practices of LED conversion as well as to study other aspects of LED street lights. For more information about the Pittsburgh LED Project, visit the website http://pittsburghledproject.com/.
