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Echelon Tech Powers Anchorage Conference(Wireless News Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Echelon, a provider of technology and solutions that enable smart grid applications, announced that its technology is enabling networked communications, control, and energy management of streetlights at the Anchorage Street Lighting Conference in Anchorage, Alaska. The conference and demonstration will illustrate how light quality can be improved with modern luminaire (lamp) fixtures that are networked and remotely managed using Echelon's control technology and will demonstrate how the system can reduce energy consumption and maintenance costs. Echelon is supplying the power line signaling technology and segment controllers that enable luminaires - ranging from traditional electronic and magnetic ballasts to energy-efficient LEDs to induction current driven - to be remotely managed for optimal light output for health and safety while simultaneously lowering overall energy consumption and decreasing unnecessary light and CO2 emissions. "Anchorage leads this country in understanding and managing our greatest asset - energy," said Anchorage Mayor and Alaska Senator-Elect Mark Begich. "The Anchorage Street Lighting Conference demonstrates that through the application of cost-effective technologies available today cities can reduce their energy usage and infrastructure maintenance costs. This not only saves the tax payers money, it also reduces pollution while providing our citizens with a safer, more attractive and productive environment." The demonstration includes three promising energy efficient streetlight luminaire technologies - high pressure sodium, induction light, and LED - being controlled, monitored, and managed on a single city network. The luminaires communicate over the existing power lines using Echelon's power line signaling technology (an international communications standard). The segment controllers, also from Echelon, communicate with the city's existing wide area network via street lighting management software, which integrates with the city's existing management system. Radio frequency (RF) based communications were considered and rejected due to poor field performance and the high costs typical of RF based street lighting solutions. Anders Axelsson, Echelon's senior vice-president of sales and marketing, said, "Street lights can represent up to 40 percent of a city's electrical usage. The Anchorage demonstration proves that cities should network their streetlights if they are to get the maximum value from their budgets. "Networked street lighting systems have been shown to reduce energy use by up to 40 percent, while improving citizen safety, dramatically lowering maintenance costs, and providing to-the-minute confirmation of lighting performance and availability. Every city in the country can learn from the work that the City of Anchorage has done." ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) ((Distributed on behalf of 10Meters via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com)) ((10Meters - http://www.10meters.com)) Copyright ? 2008 Wireless News |