The Indiana Municipal Power Agency (IMPA), a wholesale power supplier, was awarded a recent U.S. Department of Energy grant to fund the retrofitting of outdoor street lights in member communities with light emitting plasma and LED street lighting fixtures. Through a competitive process, the communities collectively selected the GE’s energy-efficient Evolve™ LED Roadway Cobrahead fixtures to replace mercury vapor, metal halide and high-pressure sodium lamps, some of which had been in use for more than half a century.

GE Evolve(TM) LED Roadway Cobrahead fixtures have been installed in more than 30 member communities of the Indiana Municipal Power Agency (IMPA). (Photo: General Electric)

IMPA was awarded the $5 million Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The street light procurement process led to competitive bids that were measurably lower than the amount budgeted. Therefore, IMPA extended its original plan to include 32 member communities, retrofitting a total of 9,933 cobrahead street lights with LED street lighting for a projected annual energy reduction of 5 million kWh.

Upon installation of GE’s Evolve LED Roadway Cobrahead fixtures, the IMPA communities realized improved street lighting and greater energy efficiency. Whereas sodium-based street lights burn out once every three to four years, GE Evolve LED Roadway Cobrahead fixtures offer more than 11 years of service, based on 12 hours of operation per day for the 50,000-hour rated life.