The New York Power Authority is more than halfway through its joint effort to replace 500,000 streetlights statewide with LED technology by 2025.
The NYPA recently announced a new partnership with the city of Rome to replace all of its streetlights with more energy-efficient LEDs (light emitting diodes). The venture is part of Smart Street Lighting NY. In Rome, the project includes installation of more than 3,800 streetlights in Rome.
New LED streetlights will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 656 metric tons, according to the NYPA.
The nearly $4.6 million lighting upgrade—which is being financed by NYPA—will feature asset management nodes, and the capability for the lights to be dimmed and remotely controlled. Such controls will allow for the automatic reporting of outages, minimizing maintenance costs.
“The LED streetlights will significantly lower the city’s annual streetlight electricity bill by almost 50% while helping to meet New York State’s Climate Act goals to reduce carbon emissions,” Mayor of Rome Jacqueline M. Izzo said. “Through our partnership with NYPA, the city is also exploring smart city opportunities that may be available once the LED bulbs and smart nodes are installed on the streetlight poles. We hope to have the full conversion completed in 2022.
New York has now replaced approximately 300,000 of its streetlights with LED fixtures, a significant milestone in the state’s goal to replace at least 500,000 streetlights with LED technology by 2025 under Smart Street Lighting NY. Some municipalities that have already converted to LED streetlights in collaboration with NYPA include: Albany, Utica, Rochester, Syracuse, and White Plains, among others.
The state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act calls for the increased use of energy efficiency to annually reduce electricity demand by three percent—equivalent to 1.8 million New York households—by 2025.
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(Rod Walton, senior editor for EnergyTech, is a 14-year veteran of covering the energy industry both as a newspaper and trade journalist. He can reached at [email protected]).
