THE program to replace the 40,000 sodium streetlights in Davao city with more energy-efficient LED lights will be completed by year’s end.
“I believe we are already 80 percent of all the sodium being replaced by LED and our target is to replace everything by end of the year,” says Engineer Roger Velasco, president of the Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) during his guesting at the Mindanao Development Authority’s Habi at Kape held today (Aug. 10) at the Abreeza Mall.
Engr. Velasco said the current LED lights have three advantages over the sodium lights. And these are higher lumens, lower consumption of electricity, and do not require much maintenance as compared to sodium lights.
“It is around 30 percent to 40 percent brighter than sodium light,” Velasco said of the illumination provided by the newer LED lights. On energy consumption, sodium lights are 310 watts while the large LED lights used in thoroughfares and highways consume 210 watts or a difference of 100 watts. The LED lights also come in three variants; 210 watts for major streets, 150 watts for outskirts, and 80 watts for interior streets.
As for maintenance, sodium lights need to be replaced every two years while LED lights would take seven years before they are to be replaced.
“These LED lights are an improvement we are introducing to the city,” Velasco said, adding that there is an agreement with the City Government to replace these lights in four to five years time.
“However, the pandemic affected the project by one to two years,” Velasco said.
“We are catching up now and we have promised the city we will complete it within the year,” the DLPC president added.
The partial conversion of sodium to LED lights will generate savings for the City Government.
“Our calculation before is that the conversion to LED will generate savings of up to 30 percent. But it may not come to reality because the city keeps on adding more streetlights as they go along in providing services to their constituents,” Velasco said.
Aside from the streetlights placed on DLPC posts, the Department of Public Works and Highways also has installed solar-powered LED lights to illuminate highways and national roads. PIA-DAVAO