Cree Assists Detroit in Endeavor to Upgrade Streetlights to LED

On the heels of President Obama’s announcement of the Department of Energy’s High Performance Outdoor Lighting Accelerator program, the Detroit Public Lighting Authority (PLA) announced its plans to transition to energy-efficient LED technology during a press conference, after celebrating the already completed pilot installation of 2,000 Cree XSP Series Area Luminaires.

Facing nearly one-third of its street lights rendered broken, long-term, energy-saving lighting will help Detroit restore a thriving, vibrant community. Cree is working with PLA to install another 5,000 XSP Series Area Luminaires and will also work with the Detroit Area Pre College Education Program (DAPCEP) to support educational training programs in Detroit schools to equip students with knowledge of LED lighting manufacturing and design principles, helping prepare them for career opportunities of the future.

According to Pike Research, street lighting can account for up to 40 percent of a city’s electricity bill. The entire program – including 50,000 total streetlights – is expected to help reduce energy usage by 60 percent over Detroit’s existing streetlights, while increasing the quality of light, and more importantly, unlocking the potential for significantly reduced maintenance costs – solving Detroit’s existing lighting problems.

Detroit joins numerous cities in transitioning to LED street lights, including the City of Los Angeles which completed the world’s largest LED street lighting upgrade last year with Cree as the majority supplier.