Yokohama City, in Kanagawa Prefecture, is planning to install 100 energy efficient lightposts for street lighting at four locations in the city by March 31, 2003. The lights will be driven by photovoltaic power, and the light source will be energy-efficient white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The city hopes this initiative will add impetus to efforts to enhance citizens' awareness of global warming issues, and also aims to create momentum for initiatives to harness solar energy.

The electricity consumption of an LED is one-eighth compared to incandescent light bulbs of the same brightness, and half compared to florescent lights. Besides the advantages in energy conservation, LEDs are also attracting attention as an outstanding light source for their small size and light weight, brightness, long life, impact-resistant durability, and also they don¡Çt result in emissions of toxic waste, like mercury contained in florescent light tubes.

By installing the LED lightposts, the city predicts an annual reduction of approximately 2.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. This is equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by 186 Japanese cedar trees in one year.

Yokohama has also equipped one of the city's parks, Bijutsuno-Hiroba (Art Square, near the Yokohama Museum of Art), with environmentally friendly LED night illumination, lit by solar power stored in a secondary battery that charges during the day. This park is located in the city's popular development district, Minato Mirai 21, and was opened to the public in December 1991.



Posted: 2003/03/07 10:43:14 AM
Japanese version

TAG Energy , Global warming , Local government