Energy efficiency of street lighting improved with LED technology
On 6 June, the Embassy of the United States, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, and the Ministry of the Environment organised a seminar where U.S. cities and companies presented their experiences of LED street light deployment.
Photo: Henna Sihvonen
At the event, Finnish and American experts of LED lighting technology and the people in charge of lighting issues in municipalities were given an opportunity to share information and best practices. Compared to traditional street lights, a switch to LED street lighting will result in electricity savings of over 50%.
Because of the EU requirement to discontinue the use of traditional mercury-vapour lamps in 2015, this topic is high on the agenda. LED technology is one option that could be used as a replacement for the lamps used today.
The seminar was opened with speeches from Bruce Oreck, U.S. Ambassador to Finland, and Ville Niinistö, Minister of the Environment.
- In the field of technology, Finland is a forerunner in energy efficiency, but in the total reduction of energy consumption we still have a long way to go, said Minister Niinistö in his opening words.
-The HINKU project, which promotes carbon-neutral municipalities; the chosen policies of public procurement; the ERA17 programme, which promotes energy-smart solutions; and the ESCO energy-efficiency agreements are all national projects of key importance.
-Energy efficiency is the forte of the cleantech sector in Finland, and resources directed to this field will also create opportunities for Finnish companies, Niinistö commented.