Saved energy could power 5,000 households every day
Conventional fluorescent and sodium street lights in eight city corporations are going to be replaced by energy-saving light emitting diode (LED) lamps, some to be run by solar power, saving 10 megawatts of electricity per day. This means an additional 5,000 households in the capital can be powered every day as these lights consume 30 to 40 percent less energy than the existing ones.
These lights will cover 200 kilometres of roads of the city corporations in Dhaka, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Khulna, Barisal and Chittagong of which those on 20 kilometres will be powered by solar panels.
Power Development Board (PDB) Assistant Engineer Asaduzzaman said the installation of the 120, 90 and 60 watt lights would be under a Tk 316 crore Asian Development Bank-funded project.
This would not only save money but last longer, improve the quality of lighting and be friendly for the environment, he said.
Appointment of a consultant will take around two months and the replacement will start in the 2014-15 fiscal year, he added.
They scrapped their initial plan to install only solar panels after seeing the problems faced by India for lack of proper maintenance and absence of adequate sunlight in some places, said Asaduzzaman.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) had already started experiencing the benefits of these energy-saving lamps from last year with 61 lamp-posts fitted with 75 watt LED lights, also run by solar energy.
The lamps were introduced under a Tk 2.25 crore pilot project, said DSCC Superintendent Engineer (electricity) Zafor Ahmed.
He said they have plans to install these lights from Gulistan to Nayabazar via Al-Razzak Hotel, the Malibagh rail crossing to Mugda, Bangabandhu Medical College Hospital to Matsya Bhaban and on Dayaganj road and part of Beribadh road.
These places will get 90 watt LED lights for better quality light but the plan, requiring Tk 10 crore, has been halted at the moment for fund constraints, he said.
The capital currently has around 22,000 sodium and 57,000 fluorescent street lights.
-With The Daily Star input
