Benicia has acquired $146,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program to retrofit 160 streetlights with LED and induction technology fixtures.

The new lights will be installed on First Street and Military West between First and West 13th streets. The project is expected to be completed in 2011 spring, following a bidding process to award a construction contract.

According　to Senior Civil Engineer Mike Roberts , after the installation, the city plans to compare and analyze the new technologies to see how well they function, and how much maintenance is required. Those tests and evaluations will be useful in planning future lighting deployments. "In that sense, this is the pilot project," Roberts said.

The project's funding was administered by the California Energy Commission. Along with saving money, the project aligns with the city's greenhouse-gas reduction goals under its climate action plan. Another forthcoming energy-conservation effort is the city's municipal solar project, which will involve installing panels at city facilities in 2011.

Now, the city decides to issue a formal request for project bids within the next several months.