The Lima News
By Sam Shriver
LIMA, Ohio — You might soon notice a difference in the luminosity of some Lima street lights.
Earlier this month, the city council authorized the mayor to contract with American Electric Power Company to participate in a street light replacement study, at no cost to the city.
The project involves installing 80 LED street lights throughout the city.
This is a smart technology beyond the LED typical bulb,” said Howard Elstro, public works director for the City of Lima.
“At this point in time, AEP does not have a tariff and cannot charge for the LED upgrades. The advantage to cities for the LED technologies, of course, first and foremost, it reduces significant energy, which results in savings,” he said.
But these lights go far beyond just turning on and off.
“There is also information that will be fed back to AEP,” said Elstro.
They will know instantaneously if a light fails. They can also control the lighting of the lumens that the light emits. They can be programmed to increase their lighting and decrease their lighting with motion or other time factors. So there’s an awful lot that’s built into these specific streetlights.”
AEP will begin installing the new LED lights soon and they will be evaluated over a six-month period.
The pilot project could pave the way for cities across Ohio to utilize the LED technology.
“We’re hopeful that the experiment proves that these are preferred technology. We’re optimistic that AEP will approach the public utilities commission and hopefully make a tariff so that all cities can enjoy the LED technology in street lighting circuits.”
The LED lights will be replaced back to the original ones after the pilot study is done.
(c)2019 The Lima News (Lima, Ohio)