Energy Efficient Street Lights Planned for L.A.
This morning saw the announcement by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former President Bill Clinton of a proposed five-year plan to retrofit 140,000 residential street lights in L.A. with energy efficient LED lights. The project, in partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative, is the largest light-emitting diode street light program undertaken by a city and hopes to save $10 million annually as well as reduce CO2 emissions by 40,500 tons each year. Unlike current street lights that have a lifespan of about four to six years, LED lights can last up to ten years. The cost effective and environmentally beneficial plan is a step in a great direction for the city of Los Angeles. This could possibly impact the safety issues concerning some of the hazards that street lights, or the lack thereof, pose in parts of the city. The fact that more energy efficient street lights could be implemented because of this plan means better safety and better traffic flow.
It’s good to see LA making some progress in going green. With some of the economic stimulus money being used to help municipalities and other government institutions become more energy efficient, expect to see more cities to start implementing more green energy technologies.
For larger “green” projects, equipment leasing and financing programs will help offset the sometimes overwhelming start-up costs.