LED street lights offer many advantages. They are sustainable and cost-efficient because they last longer and consume less energy than their conventional equivalents such as incandescent, halogen or fluorescent lights. Below are some benefits of LED street lights.
How LED street lighting can have a positive impact on the sustainability of cities
LED street lights can help cities become more sustainable by shrinking their carbon footprint thanks to lower energy consumption. As well, LED lighting systems can be integrated with smart technologies in order to cut costs, save energy, and make public lighting infrastructure more versatile, flexible and efficient.
Energy efficiency of LED street lights
LEDs are energy efficient because they emit very little heat, so they require far less power to emit the same amount of light as their conventional equivalents. In comparison, incandescent bulbs release 90% of their energy as heat and fluorescent lights release about 80% of their energy as heat. LED lights are 40 to 60% more energy efficient than traditional lighting technologies.
Fewer emissions
One of the advantages of LED street lights is the less consuming of energy: LED street lights generate fewer emissions than their conventional equivalents. In the US alone, replacing outdoor lighting with LED lighting can reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of taking 8.5 million cars off the road for a year, according to the World Bank.
Longer lifespan
Another benefit of LED street lights is the longer lifespan: LED lighting products last longer than conventional lights. For example, LED bulbs can last three to five times longer than fluorescent lights and 30 times longer than incandescent ones.
High color rendering
The high color rendering of LED street lights is close to natural light and presents colors more realistically. This helps drivers and pedestrians better identify objects at night, improving traffic safety and road conditions.
Quick start
Incandescent lamps take about 0.1 to 0.2 seconds to light up. Gas discharge lamps such as high-pressure sodium lamps and metal halide lamps take anywhere from tens of seconds to 10 minutes to reach a stable light output. After being turned off, they take 3-6 minutes to cool down before restarting. In contrast, LED lights only take tens of nanoseconds to start up, there is no waiting time to restart, and they can work normally in a continuous on/off state.
