Today, high-intensity discharge (HID) lights, such as high-pressure sodium and metal-halide lamps, prevail when it comes to illuminating streets, parking lots, and walkways. But high-power light-emitting diodes (LEDs) promise a brighter future in outdoor illumination. Their capacity to send a more pleasing light in one direction makes them an ideal candidate to replace conventional outdoor lighting.
In 2009, Southern Company and Mississippi Power partnered with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to launch an investigation into the use of LED technology for area lighting. The goal of the project—called the LED Street and Area Lighting Demonstration was to discover a better light bulb, one that not only meets the outdoor lighting requirements of consumers but also uses less electricity in doing so. This case study discusses the results of Southern Company’s and Mississippi Power’s encounter with this new technology— their expectations and how the new technology performed in the field....(Read more...)
