In a pilot program to utilize energy-efficient technology, the city of Madison will be installing 20 LED lights along Wisconsin Highway 30.
Dan Dettmann, Madison traffic operations engineer, said these lights are the last phase of the East Washington Avenue Reconstruction Plan.
""The lights could save 40 percent in energy costs,"" Dan Dettman told The Capital Times.
""Today we use a lot of high pressure sodium vapor,"" Dettman said. ""LED is a little more energy efficient; however, it's so new that there are certainly a lot of questions about how well it's going to perform and how long it's going to last.""
The idea is that the LED lights will be more efficient from an energy standpoint and longer lasting than traditional lighting.
""Long lasting is a relative term,"" Dettman said. ""The LED lights are said to last up to 50,000 hours; however, when you integrate them into a fixture, a lot of other components have to go right over time for the lights to work correctly.""
Among the concerns about the effectiveness of the LED lights are the costs. The upfront investment is tremendous, with one LED streetlight costing up to $12,000, which is two to three times more than a traditional light.
""We're just buying a few fixtures from probably two companies,"" Dettman said. ""Cost is a concern, but we want to have something in place to see how well they perform and whether there are any particular problems.""
Madison's green push began in 2003. A $4.2 million energy bill passed that year has already installed LED traffic signals and has purchased five hybrid buses.
The state of the economy today has put major pressure on the city council to conserve costs while still finding more energy efficient ways to run the city.
Dan Thompson, executive director of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, told The Capital Times that this a ""nervous time"" for municipal governments.
""There is enormous interest in finding more energy efficient ways to do things,"" Thompson said.
Thompson, however, predicted that over the next couple of years, municipalities will be forced to ""hunker down"" due to the economy, and limit spending on big green projects.
Though taking a fiscal leap, Madison believes going green is the right thing to do, despite the high costs in the short term.
Since 2006, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, as well as other Wisconsin mayors, signed a nationwide climate protection agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions locally. However, the LED street lighting will not begin until after construction resumes.
""Installation will begin around November, and, like any new technology in the next few years, there will be many improvements,"" Dettman said. ""There are going to be vast improvements in how they are made and prices will drop significantly.""
