The world's first completely zero-carbon footprint city, Masdar, located in the United Arab Emirates, will use solar-powered LED streetlights purchased from Massachusetts-based technology company SolarOne Solutions to illuminate its roadways.
Solar Powered streetlights that illuminate the roadway at night are powered by sunlight during the day. The SolarOne lights were selected after engineers evaluated solar-powered fixtures from several world-class manufacturers.
After a sandstorm and several cloudy days, only the lights from SolarOne Solutions remained lit. This success was the result of an intelligent management system, called SO-Bright, which is "designed to ride through several days of inclement weather", according to Moneer Azzam, President of SolarOne.
Philip Parker, Commercial Director of Al Jaber Energy Service Group, the company that installed the lights, said that his company was "delighted that we were able to offer Masdar a sustainable lighting solution...at a savings."
For the first time ever, 50,000 people and 1,500 commercial businesses will inhabit a 6.3 square km. completely carbon neutral community. SolarOne Solutions is bringing first light to the fledgling city and vision of Masdar, with solar powered LED streetlights providing the lighting for the roadway surrounding the community, as well as for the driveway and parking lots at the Masdar site offices.
With the construction of this sustainable city comes the growth of green companies worldwide, including SolarOne Solutions, which doubled in size last year.
Even though the streetlamps traveled to the Middle East from Massachusetts, the fixtures started arriving on site within eight weeks from the initial order. And, because SolarOne streetlights operate completely independent of any electrical grid, they were illuminating the roadway shortly thereafter.
This is confirmed by Parker, who says that "by using solar lights we've managed to get rid of all the underground cabling and ducting...which was excellent, and meant we could install the solar lights a lot quicker than traditional lights...as a result we were able to deliver savings to Masdar".
The color and uniformity of the SolarOne broad spectrum LED lighting represents a significant departure from the intense, yellow High Pressure Sodium lights that light up Abu Dhabi roadways, offering a more attractive, broad, white light for enhanced visual comfort, using just a fraction of the energy.
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