Partnerships designed to save tax dollars and increase safety by installing innovative, efficient lighting

Chevron Energy Solutions and Bridgelux have created a unique alliance to promote innovative advancements in LED lighting technologies, enabling cities to significantly reduce utility bills and maintenance costs.

Under the program, Chevron Energy Solutions, the energy services division of Chevron U.S.A. Inc., will upgrade streetlights with LED technology, often at no upfront cost to cities. The LED streetlights require 50 percent less power and far less maintenance than ordinary streetlights, allowing cities the opportunity to finance the installation with the savings. Additionally, these LED streetlights offer a better quality of light that improves visibility and increases safety and security. In many cases, taxpayers should not be impacted except by the dramatic improvement in the lighting of their communities.

Livermore and Dublin, two Northern California cities in Alameda County, well known for their leadership in innovation, are participating in the demonstration of this unique LED technology and have upgraded several of their streetlights with the Bridgelux technology.

“The pilot installation has been received with great excitement. We are proud to be a part of a significant advancement in lighting innovation,” said John Marchand, mayor of Livermore. “We take great pride in seeing our investment in local clean technology companies produce potential fiscal benefits for cities around the world.”

Streetlights typically account for 10 to 40 percent of a municipality’s energy costs. According to the Clinton Global Climate Initiative, the energy used by street lights amounts to the third largest use of power by local governments today. Many cities in America could see reductions up to 40 percent or as much as $17 million in yearly energy costs, simply by converting their existing conventional streetlights to the Bridgelux LED.

“All cities are facing a similar fiscal dilemma: they need to upgrade their infrastructure, but lack the capital to move forward,” said Jim Davis, President of Chevron Energy Solutions. “Through this new initiative, we can help cities modernize their infrastructure by financing projects through energy savings. These LED streetlights are making a dramatic difference, but they are just the start of what we can do to help cities save on their energy costs.”

“Our community is excited about the evaluation we are doing with Chevron Energy Solutions and Bridgelux,” said Tim Sbranti, mayor of Dublin. “All of us in city government look forward to the energy savings and improved street level visibility. We think this could be a successful financing model for many of our infrastructural improvement projects.”

The heart of the streetlight is an LED lighting module designed to be installed or upgraded quickly and easily into the existing streetlight head. Designed by Bridgelux, a leading innovator in solid state lighting technologies and solutions, the module contains the light source and other components most subject to rapid evolution. As the technology advances in energy efficiency and capabilities, it is anticipated that modules could be simply swapped out without having to replace a city’s physical infrastructure.

The module also allows cities the potential of upgrading streetlights in the future to incorporate sensing and networking capabilities, giving city managers tools to control their lights and monitor traffic or remote locations, something impossible with conventional streetlights.

“LED lighting is the biggest advance in lighting since Thomas Edison showed off his bulb in 1879,” said Bill Watkins, CEO of Bridgelux. “But LEDs and solid-state lighting represent more than just a technical advance. They will usher in new business models and capabilities for running our homes, businesses and cities. Lights are going to become more than just something you screw into a socket.”
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