Xcel Energy testing GE LED street lighting in Minnesota

USA: GE’s new Evolve LED Scalable Cobrahead lighting fixtures have been installed by Xcel Energy in the city of West St. Paul, Minn., as part of a utility-initiated implementation of LED street lights.

Xcel Energy will monitor performance of the new lights for two years and use the data to develop an LED program for each of the eight states in its service area. The utility maintains approximately 500,000 Xcel Energy and customer-owned street lights.

Xcel Energy has changed 530 high-pressure sodium (100-, 150- and 250-watt) fixtures in West St. Paul to GE’s LED street lights. Data collected during the testing will help the utility decide what sort of LED lighting products provide the most benefit to customers, how to price LED rate options, how much maintenance is required and how frequently it should be performed.

In the meantime, West St. Paul will continue to pay its current street light service rate. Xcel Energy funded the $200,000 installation, completed in early 2013.