Broad range of lighting opinions

Ports America’s Tom Ward says that the operator has found that both LED and LEP systems generate similar life-cycle costs, achieving an energy reduction of around 55% compared with more traditional sodium lamps. As for installation costs, these are comparable, too.

Phoenix Products Company’s Yazi Fletcher believes that installing LED systems can often work out cheaper when compared with conventional lighting. An LED fixture, for example, can be 60% lower in wattage therefore requiring a reduced wire size, which is less expensive. Furthermore, because LEDs are DC systems, the reduced voltage involved allows for lower installation costs, too.

“A well-designed LED system will allow for cheaper installation costs on new installations,” he says.

Looking at high mast applications, Bright Light Systems’ John Chalmers says a retrofit involving an LED system may necessitate pole infrastructure changes, he says, but this would not be the case with LEP.

“Our high mast fixture weighs only 45 lbs (20kg), which is less than a typical 1000W HID fixture. Competing LED fixtures at a similar lumen output range can weigh over 80 lbs (36kg) due to the large heat sinks employed to manage thermal dissipation,” he says. Once in place, both have similar environmental benefits, says Mr Ward, although cutoff on the LEP fixture is a bit better, allowing enhanced control at the water’s edge and at the edge of the terminal.