LED lights bring smart New York City technology

LED lighting has officially gave the list of technologies for smart metropolises of the future. New York City will become 250,000 streetlights to LED a movement, to save the city is $14.000.000 annually and literally change how the residents to see their metropolis, Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared last week.

A lot of urban center*, including Los Angeles, Seattle and Boston, already used on the phasing out of traditional high-pressure sodium street lamps to LED lamps required. Bloomberg Office expects New York the largest renovation project in the United States be, giving a important milestone for the introduction of led lighting technology. The project, which began with pilot tests in 2009, is set for completion in 2017.

The improved efficiency to emission reductions New York City has contributing to the objective and the energy consumption expenditure. But the greatest financial advantage is lower maintenance costs. LED street lights are expected to take more than 20 years, compared to about six years for high pressure sodium lamps, which saves $8.000.000 each year, according to Bloomberg. Energy cuts for individual led street lights can be as much as 60 percent, say the LED manufacturer.

When New York began a pilot project in Central Park four years ago, were LED street lights much more expensive and questions abound, how well it would work. Now the prices have come up to the point where local authorities may be based can finance these projects on annual savings. The payback period of six years, will be in New York City Department of transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik - Khan at a press conference said last week. The project is accelerated initiative, projects, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions conservation and efficiency of New York with $10,000,000 of accelerated funded.

Since LEDs are still new, local authorities do not recognize whether it will take 20 years, but they have come up with more guarantees than sodium lamps and need little maintenance. Cree, for instance, offers a 10 - year-guarantee for its residential led street lights.

In relation to their performance, a lot of questions about, like LED street lights to traditional products compare answers were Margaret Newman, Chief of staff for the NYC Department of transportation, said GreenBiz in April.

"I think the technical quality and aesthetic quality is because out there, so I think it is, what will be the future for all cities. It is not a question of if, but a question of what and when and how ", she said.

Unlike most of the infrastructure projects which conversion to led (New York has already changed its traffic lights of LEDs) is street lighting, a very visible change, said Sadik - Khan.
Traditional street lights typically have a yellow or orange light. But as cities on LED convert, be it the decision, with a white light, roads and buildings give a new look. Not everybody is happy with this change. While Boston conversion, there are complaints about glare and the change in color. But in General, the improved visibility welcome metropolises because it can improve public safety.

To update the urban centre* on LED lighting, it produces an chance for smart city applications continue to improve efficiency and possibly the quality of life for the residents.
Intelligent street lighting manufacturer Echelon, for example, several projects to collect City Manager data, where the status to monitor streetlights did. Often use photo cells that capture light levels to light cities or turn off. But because they can't, 5 to 8 percent of streetlights are unnecessary during the day, Vijay Dhinga said Director of the commercial product management at Echelon. Once connected, but they can report if there is a problem and automatically a maintenance call, said he.

Intelligent street lighting can save an additional 20 to 30 percent power, by timer or motion sensor to Dim at times of low activity, whereby Dhinga. City planners can also install sensors on noise or pollution to pursue, to collect data for future urban development. Retrofitting LEDs for networking can be relatively easy if the cities choose lamps with network-enabled control electronics. "An intelligent city is possible because you, street light have the infrastructure to collect data," said Dhinga.

For now is New York City only with a focus on the modernisation of its lights. But that alone is a big step towards reveals that the LED lighting technology, to improve and come in the cost continues, is commercially viable major projects.