Published Thursday, July 2, 2009, by the Peninsula Daily News

Palo Alto tries LED streetlights to cut energy use

By Will Oremus
Daily News Staff Writer

Streetlamps are the focus of Palo Alto's latest bid to lighten its load on the
environment.

The city announced Wednesday it will replace some traditional lights with
low-maintenance induction lamps and light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, as part of a
pilot project expected to last at least one year.

Nine LEDs and five induction lights will be installed near City Hall and on the
residential Colorado and Amarillo avenues. Both are designed to last longer and
use 40 percent less energy that traditional sodium vapor lamps, according to the
city.

If the program works, it will be rolled out citywide over the next five years,
the city said in a statement. The new lamps could cut the city's greenhouse gas
emissions by about 600 metric tons per year, the equivalent to taking 120 cars
off the road.

Palo Alto is aiming to reduce its emissions by 15 percent by the year 2020.

As part of the pilot project, the city will also test monitoring technology that
would allow individual lights to be dimmed when they're not being used. It could
also notify city employees when a light goes out.

The city is looking for feedback on the program from the public. To learn more
or weigh in, visit the Web site
(http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/streetlightpilot).

E-mail Will Oremus at woremus@....