Indal has been selected to supply award-winning Stela LED street lights for the world’s first private finance initiative (PFI) to incorporate LED lighting as its main residential light source.
Birmingham City Council, the largest local authority in Europe, has initiated an ambitious multi-year programme to replace almost its entire street lighting stock with what Amey believes to be the most advanced lighting system in the world today.
The street lighting overhaul is part of the Council’s £2.7 billion Highways Maintenance and Management PFI with public service provider Amey, which will upgrade and maintain the city’s road network over the next 25 years. During the first five years approximately 50% of the street lights will be replaced, with all residential areas incorporating cutting edge, fully remote controllable LED lighting.
The remainder of the lighting will be replaced or upgraded throughout the contract period, with Amey expecting to keep Birmingham at the forefront of lighting technology.
The city currently has more than 95,000 street lights, which are primarily high pressure sodium, mercury vapour and low pressure sodium. There are also a small number of metal halide and fluorescent light sources. The adoption of LED as the standard across the PFI is a clear signal that traditional discharge lighting has been replaced by a solution able to exceed expectations on performance, energy savings and value for money. It is probable that all future PFI proposals will only be considered best value if LED form the majority of the scheme.
Stela LED street lights will be installed in all residential areas being upgraded whilst traffic routes will be replaced with Indal WRTL’s Airtrace 2 luminaire, which include SON lighting with dimmable electronic controls. Amey expects that during the course of the initial investment period Stela will also be incorporated onto the traffic routes. In addition, tunnel lighting and signs will include LED fixtures.
According to Amey, the advantages of Stela are numerous. Stela, which presently incorporates CREE LEDs, will reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions significantly. The long life and minimal maintenance requirements will cut operating costs immediately. The fully dimmable Stela street lights will provide excellent optical control allowing the reduction of light pollution and obtrusive light. Amey expects the city to see an increase in personal safety levels and a reduction in the fear of crime as a result of the improved illumination and outstanding colour rendering.
Indal Stela luminaire was specifically designed to utilise LEDs as a light source, and there have been no failures in the 2,000+ fixtures installed by Amey to date.
The energy savings, carbon reduction and virtual elimination of light pollution are unprecedented for a project of this scale and will have a dramatic effect ecologically as well as economically. Stela can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 78% against some of the lighting systems it replaces, and have been installed by more than 80 local authorities.
