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    1. Energy Efficiency

    NYPA progressing on conversion of Street Lights to LEDs statewide

    Dec. 8, 2021
    New LED streetlights in New York will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 656 metric tons, according to the NYPA
    Streetlights 61b0d9aacef47

    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]).

    About the Author

    Rod Walton, EnergyTech Managing Editor | Senior Editor

    For EnergyTech editorial inquiries, please contact Managing Editor Rod Walton at [email protected].

    Rod Walton has spent 15 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist. He formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    Walton earned his Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. His career stops include the Moore American, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Wagoner Tribune and Tulsa World. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids. The C&I sectors together account for close to 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

    He was named Managing Editor for Microgrid Knowledge and EnergyTech starting July 1, 2023

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.

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