March 8, 2012 – Chevron Energy Solutions and Bridgelux announced that they have formed an alliance to encourage innovative advancements in LED lighting technology to significantly lower energy and maintenance costs in cities.
Chevron Energy Solutions, the energy services subsidiary of the U.S. oil giant Chevron USA Inc., will enable several cities to upgrade their street lighting to LED technology at no additional cost through this program. LED street lighting consumes 50% less power than conventional lighting and requires significantly lower maintenance costs, allowing the savings to be invested in lighting installations. Furthermore, these LED streetlights provide better lighting quality that improves visibility and enhances safety and security. In most cases, citizens, who are taxpayers, will be significantly affected, aside from noticeable improvements in lighting within their local areas.
Livermore and Dublin, two cities in Alameda County, Northern California, known for their innovative leadership, are participating in the demonstration of this unique LED technology and have upgraded their street lighting with Bridgelux's technology.
Livermore Mayor John Marchand said, “The pilot project has already received a great response. I am very proud to be a part of the outstanding advancement of lighting innovation,” adding, “I am also very proud that by actively investing in local clean technology companies, we can influence other cities around the world and seek potential cost benefits.”
Street lighting typically accounts for 10–40% of a city's energy costs. According to the Clinton Global Climate Initiative, energy consumed by street lighting is the third largest source of electricity used by local governments today. Several cities in the United States have confirmed that they can save up to 40%, or $17 million, in annual energy costs by replacing existing streetlights with Bridgelux LEDs.

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Jim Davis, President of Chevron Energy Solutions, stated, “All cities face a similar financial dilemma where they need to upgrade their infrastructure but lack the investment capital to push it forward,” and added, “Through this new initiative, with financial support for energy savings. “We can support the modernization of urban infrastructure. These LED streetlights bring about a tremendous change, but this is just the first step in the support we can provide to reduce the city’s energy costs,” he said.
Dublin Mayor Tim Sbranti said, “The community is encouraged by the assessment we are conducting with Chevron Energy Solutions and Bridgelux. The city government is also looking forward to energy savings and improved street visibility. I believe this will serve as a successful financing model for many infrastructure improvement projects.”
The key to street lighting lies in LED lighting modules designed for rapid installation and upgrades, as well as for easy insertion into existing streetlight heads. The modules developed by Bridgelux, a leader in innovation for Solid State Lighting (SSL) technologies and solutions, consist of rapidly evolving light sources and other components. As technology advances in terms of energy efficiency and functionality, it is expected that these modules can be simply replaced without altering the city's physical infrastructure.
This module also supports cities in upgrading street lighting in the future by adding sensor and network capabilities, while providing city managers with tools for lighting control, traffic (volume), and remote area monitoring that are not available in existing streetlights.
“LED lighting is the greatest advancement in lighting since Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1879,” said Bill Watkins, CEO of Bridgelux. “However, LEDs and SSL represent more than just technological progress. They create new business models and capabilities to manage homes, businesses, and cities. Lighting is now moving beyond the simplicity of simply screwing it into a socket and becoming something more.”