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26-29 Sept 2010 | Huntington Beach, CA

LD+A The Magazine of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America

Sustainable Design

solar power hits the lot

BY ELIZABETH HALL

Forget hybrid vehicles, the newest green technology pulling into Spokane’s parking lots may not be a car at all. The city recently test drove new solar-powered LEDs at a parking lot that serves the LEEDSilver certified Spokane Convention Center and nearby INB Performing Arts Center. Both venues are owned and operated by the Spokane Public Facilities District (SPFD), which maintains a formal Sustainability Policy for its facilities. In keeping with the policy, SPFD wanted to select a renewable energy source to light its South Convention Center Parking Lot. The high-traffic, high-visibility location was the perfect place to make its mission visible to the public. In a first for the city, SPFD selected solar-powered LED lights for site lighting.
Spokane South Convention Center Parking Lot “SPFD was vocal about using solar LED lights from the get-go,” recalls lighting designer Jeremy Van Lith, Escent Lighting division of MW Consulting Engineers, Spokane. “They really believed, like we did, that it was the right thing to do.” After examining three other alternatives—metal halide, electric-powered LED and another solar LED option—the team selected the EverGEN 1530 from Carmanah in both Type IV and V distribution patterns. The system includes dark-sky friendly, 6,000K BetaLED LEDway fixtures and self-contained power sources that don’t require an in-ground electrical connection.
Eight Type IV lights each provide 4,191 lumens to perimeter areas, while nine Type V lights each spread 4,398 lumens onto the main lot. While Van Lith knew that using solar LEDs meant designing to more conservative light levels, he expected the systems to achieve a more even distribution of light. Providing an average of 0.5 footcandles, the new lights exceed IES minimum requirements for site illumination. “It’s a lower level of illumination, but it doesn’t have the hot spots that a 400-W metal-halide fixture would,” says Van Lith. Van Lith was surprised at the resolve of his clients, who supported the use of solar LEDs, even when the numbers revealed it to be the most expensive option. “In Washington, the power is relatively inexpensive, so you won’t see a quick return on investment; however, there were instant benefits, including saving on labor for installation and the 100,000-hour lamp life.”

May 2010