The guide is being unveiled today at the Next Generation Streetlight Workshop at Hayward City Hall, co-organized by the BACC and the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC), part of the University of California, Davis. The workshop is hosting local government lighting specialists and industry representatives, and will address financing and implementation strategies. The City of Hayward is advancing a comprehensive streetlight upgrade to LED technology. “We know how beneficial the upgrade to advanced streetlights is to a city’s budget, to the environment, and to public safety,” says Morad Fakhrai, Director of Public Works for the City of Hayward. “We also know that a successful transition can be complex. This guide is a great resource and will be of great benefit to all forward-thinking cities.”

Through a survey of Bay Area agencies, the BACC and Energy Solutions have identified over 240,000 city-owned fixtures ready for conversion within the 67 participating agencies. “Upgrading these streetlights to LEDs would yield annual energy savings of 60 million kilowatt-hours, enough to power 10,000 single-family California homes,” says Ted Pope, Vice President at Energy Solutions. “Furthermore, advanced controls networks that tune light levels, communicate status and provide other features can generate additional energy and maintenance savings through smarter management of streetlight systems.”

The Next Generation Streetlights guide is co-authored by BACC and Energy Solutions, with input from CLTC and support from Public Financial Management, Inc. It is part of the Next-Generation Streetlight Initiative, which aims to provide leading-edge education, resources and support to accelerate streetlight upgrades in the Bay Area. The guide covers the benefits of lighting upgrades, an overview of the technology, and details on financing and implementation strategies. “The technology is moving very quickly, and it is important to get the most current information out to decision-makers,” says Professor Michael Siminovitch, Director of CLTC. “Features such as lighting controls merit close attention, so cities can maximize the value of their upgrades.”

In the first quarter of 2013, the BACC and CLTC will be providing individual consultation to select local governments in the Bay Area to address key questions and needs. “This is a good time for cities to act given the currently substantial incentives available, low cost of financing and very attractive payback times,” said Rafael Reyes, BACC Executive Director. “A city such as Hayward with 8,000 lights could save $450,000 per year or more in power and maintenance costs, improve lighting quality, and reduce its climate impacts.”

About the Bay Area Climate Collaborative

The Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC) is a public-private initiative accelerating the clean energy economy. Major partners include Bank of America, PG&E, Environmental Defense Fund, and local governments representing over 70 percent of the Bay Area population. The BACC is driving electric vehicle, energy efficiency, residential upgrades and distributed renewables innovation. Partners of BACC’s Next Generation Streetlight Initiative include the Lisa & Douglas Goldman Fund, GE, SWARCO Americas, Siemens, Xeralux, BridgeLux, and Leotek. For more information on the BACC, please visit: www.baclimate.org

About the California Lighting Technology Center

The California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) is a technology-neutral research, development, and demonstration facility at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). CLTC’s mission is to stimulate, facilitate, and accelerate the development and commercialization of energy-efficient lighting and daylighting technologies. This is accomplished through technology development and demonstrations, as well as offering outreach and education activities in partnership with utilities, lighting manufacturers, end users, builders, designers, researchers, academics, and government agencies. For more information on CLTC, please visit: cltc.ucdavis.edu.

About Energy Solutions

Energy Solutions specializes in research and implementation of energy efficiency programs and codes, and standards development. Founded in 1995, Energy Solutions’ mission is to create large-scale energy and water savings benefits for clients by implementing market-based solutions and developing programs and policies that contribute to these goals. Energy Solutions has completed several LED street lighting emerging technology demonstrations and market research studies since 2008, working with organizations such as the PG&E, Electric Power Research Institute, and the US Department of Energy. For more information on Energy Solutions, please visit: www.energy-solution.com.

About the City of Hayward

Hayward is known as the “Heart of the Bay” because of its central and convenient location in Alameda County – 25 miles southeast of San Francisco, 14 miles south of Oakland, 26 miles north of San Jose and 10 miles west of the valley communities surrounding Pleasanton. Serviced by an extensive network of freeways and bus lines, Hayward has two BART stations (Hayward and South Hayward), an Amtrak station, and the Hayward Executive Airport, with easy access to San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose airports. In addition, Hayward was one of the first cities to adopt a Climate Action Plan which identifies actions that the City can take to address climate change and sustainability concerns. As a part of these goals, the City is in the process of upgrading about 8,000 streetlights to LEDs. For more information about the City of Hayward, please visit: www.ci.hayward.ca.us/.

 

###