Progress Energy Florida to pilot first LED outdoor area lighting in territory

10/28/2008

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (October 28, 2008) -- Progress Energy Florida is installing state-of-the-art, energy-efficient LED (Light-Emitting Diode) lighting systems at several school bus stops in Orange County. The demonstration project at four bus stops that are currently without street lights is the first outdoor area use of LED lighting in Progress Energy Florida 's 35 county service territory. The pilot is a joint project of Progress Energy and the Orange County Commission.

"Due to changes in school schedules, middle school students at four Orange County school bus stops could be waiting in the dark when daylight savings time changes," said Orange County Commissioner Linda Stewart.

Commissioner Stewart approached Progress Energy to see what could be done to illuminate the bus stops and help keep students safe.

"After reviewing the situation, we determined this was a good opportunity to not only help keep the kids safe, but also test lighting technology to see how much energy could be saved by using new LED area lighting instead of the more traditional options," said John Masiello Progress Energy Florida's director of Demand Side Management and Alternative Energy Strategy in the Efficiency and Innovative Technology department.

Progress Energy worked with lighting manufacturer Globaltechled to develop the retrofitted LED fixtures for the pilot. Installation at the four select school bus stops begins the week of October 27th. The bus stops involved are:

• 8th and 6th Streets in Taft for students at Walker Middle School 
• 4th Street and Hoenstine Avenue in Taft for student of Walker Middle  
• Sunflower Trail and Mercury Avenue in the Bithlo area for student of Avalon Middle School 
• Lake Mary Jane Road and Augustine Road in the Moss Park area for students of Odyssey Middle School (to be installed Wednesday, Oct 29th beginning at 10:30 am )  

The new LED lights will be 85-watt fixtures versus the traditional sodium-vapor 118-watt fixtures. LED technology is advancing rapidly and efficiencies are gaining on traditional streetlights. Progress Energy estimates the LED lights may use up to 28 percent less electricity. In addition to energy savings, LED lights come on instantly and the light source lasts 10 to 15 years, compared with three to six years for traditional sodium-vapor and metal-halide lamps. This pilot project will be carefully monitored to confirm the energy savings and performance in order to determine future opportunities.

Currently, Progress Energy does not offer LED streetlights to municipalities because of the higher cost and performance questions. In the past, LEDs have not been as bright as more traditional lighting technologies, but they are fast approaching the luminosity of sodium-vapor lights and pricing has started to come down. However, large scale applications, for street or highway lighting, are not yet feasible due to reliability, heat and glare issues, and retrofitting questions.

Progress Energy Florida leads the nation in energy-efficiency programs with more than 100 energy- efficiency measures. Since 1981, our customers have saved nearly $911 million through our energy-efficiency programs -- or more than 12.11 billion kilowatt-hours -- enough to power the city of Orlando for more than two years. These programs have helped eliminate almost 7.6 million tons of CO2 (equal to removing more than 2 million cars off the road every year). Energy efficiency is critical to meeting our state's long-term energy needs. It is the quickest, easiest and most environmentally-friendly way to reduce energy use. During the next decade, the utility anticipates these measures will avoid the need for an additional 1,500 MWs of new generation. For more information on energy-efficiency tips that all homeowners can benefit from, visit www.savethewatts.com 

Progress Energy Florida , a subsidiary of Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), provides electricity and related services to 1.7 million customers in Florida . The company is headquartered in St. Petersburg , Fla. , and serves a territory encompassing more than 20,000 square miles including the cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater , as well as the Central Florida area surrounding Orlando . Progress Energy Florida is pursuing a balanced strategy for a secure energy future. That balance includes aggressive energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system. For more information about Progress Energy, visit the company's Web site at www.progress-energy.com.

 

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