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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Solid-State Lighting GATEWAY Demonstration Results

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) shares the results of completed solid-state lighting (SSL) GATEWAY demonstration projects, publishing detailed reports and briefs on completed projects, both available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. The reports include detailed analysis of data collected, projected energy savings, payback analysis, and user feedback.

Technology briefs profile specific SSL technologies under consideration for GATEWAY demonstrations.

Completed Projects

Photo of museum exhibit with pictures hanging on walls and illuminated by track lights.

 

LED Retrofit Lamps: Malibu, California
At the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, 12W LED PAR 38 lamps replaced 60W halogen PAR 38 flood lamps on a one-for-one basis for a special photography exhibition. The LED lamps resulted in energy savings approaching 83 percent compared to the traditional halogen system; simple payback was estimated to occur between years two and three. (March 2012)
Getty Museum ReportPDF
Photo of a road at night with a street light in the foreground.

 

LED Roadway Lighting: New York, New York
On Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive in New York City, LED luminaires from four different manufacturers were compared to the incumbent high-pressure sodium (HPS) luminaires and evaluated for relative light output and performance. Although energy savings ranged from 26 to 57 percent compared to the incumbent HPS, with a high potential for improvement in illumination quality, the report shows how life-cycle costs would need to improve to economically justify an investment in solid-state lighting for many roadway lighting applications. (December 2011)
FDR Drive ReportPDF
Photo of a street at night with a post-top street light in the right foreground and two more in the background.

 

LED Ornamental Post-Top Street Lights: Sacramento, California
The DOE Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium evaluated four different LED replacements for existing ornamental post-top street lights in Sacramento using computer simulations, field measurements, and laboratory testing. The study was restricted to retrofit or integrated replacement products that would either fit into the existing acorn fixture, or be similar in daytime appearance. This challenge proved formidable, as the results indicate that none of the LED products evaluated would be cost-effective replacements for the existing 100W HPS luminaires. (December 2011)
Sacramento Street Light ReportPDF
Photo of a museum gallery with LED track lights illuminating several large pieces of art.

 

LED Retrofit Lamps: Eugene, Oregon
In the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Eugene, 90W PAR38 130V narrow flood lamps used for accent lighting were replaced with 12W LED PAR38 replacement lamps for a special exhibition, and the museum also staged a side-by-side comparison of three different LED PAR38 replacement lamps against their standard halogen lamp. The LED system lighting the exhibition showed a lower present value life-cycle cost, using 14% of the energy and having a life 10 times longer, than the halogen system. (September 2011)
Jordan Schnitzer Museum ReportPDF
Photo of a corporate lobby with LED track lights illuminating eight framed pieces of art.

 

LED Retrofit Lamps: Portland, Oregon
In the Bonneville Power Administration headquarters building in Portland, 15W and 23W reflectorized compact fluorescent (CFL) track lights used to illuminate artwork were replaced with 12W LED lamps. Although the study did not show rapid payback on the LED installation compared to the CFL products, color quality and power quality improved with the LED lamps, and the narrower light distribution of the LED product more effectively concentrated the lumens on the artwork. (July 2011)
Bonneville Power Administration ReportPDF
Photo of a lighting design lab space with a person standing at right.

 

LED T8 Replacement Products: Seattle, Washington
At the Lighting Design Lab in Seattle, LED T8 replacement products were compared to their fluorescent counterparts. These "best in class" examples of LED products are approaching linear fluorescent systems in performance, in some cases showing superior application efficacies. Challenges remain, however, with the cost of the LED systems, as well as with their overall levels of illumination. (May 2011)
LED T8 Replacement Product StudyPDF
Photo of a Walmart store front with an LED parking lot luminaire at left.

 

LED Parking Lot Lighting: Leavenworth, Kansas
At a new Walmart Superstore in Leavenworth, Kansas, LED parking lot luminaires were installed that achieved a 63% energy savings against a theoretical baseline (since the site was new construction, no baseline system was actually installed). Simple payback for the LED system was 6.1 or 7.5 years, depending on the respective hypothetical baseline. (May 2011)
Walmart ReportPDF
Photo of a reception desk in a hotel lobby featuring LED lighting.

 

LED Retrofit Lamps: San Francisco, California
At the InterContinental Hotel in San Francisco, halogen wall-grazing luminaires, track lights, and recessed downlights in the lobby and other common areas were retrofitted with 6W LED MR-16 or 11W PAR30 replacement lamps. The LED lamps resulted in 70% energy savings compared to the halogen lamps, with an estimated payback of a little over one year. (November 2010—Updated to include results of 9000 hour testing, January 2012)
InterContinental Hotel ReportPDF
Photo of a museum gallery with a display case at center and LED track lighting overhead.

 

LED Museum Accent Lighting: Chicago, Illinois
At Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History, 32 halogen track luminaires used to light an enclosed gallery exhibit were replaced with an LED system using 26 track fixtures. The LED system resulted in 63% energy savings compared to the halogen system, while achieving a simple payback of roughly 3 years. Because the LED luminaires used do not emit energy in the infrared or ultraviolet regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, they are also expected to be less detrimental to some museum artifacts. (November 2010)
Field Museum ReportPDF
Photo of a shopping plaza showing an LED parking lot light to the left and an HPS light to the right.

 

LED Parking Lot Lighting: Manchester, New Hampshire
In a shopping plaza parking lot in Manchester, New Hampshire, high-pressure sodium and metal halide luminaires were replaced with LED luminaires controlled by integral occupancy sensors that vary between "high" and "low" light output settings. The LED luminaires achieved energy savings of 58% and an estimated payback of around three years at this location, where electricity and maintenance costs for the existing lights are relatively high. (June 2010)
T.J.Maxx ReportPDF
T.J.Maxx Report BriefPDF
Aerial view of LED installation site from Palo Alto GATEWAY demonstration.

 

LED Roadway Lighting: Palo Alto, California
In Palo Alto, California, seven LED and three induction streetlight luminaires replaced high-pressure sodium (HPS) luminaires on two residential streets, and two LED and two induction luminaires were installed on a commercial street to test a remote streetlight monitoring system. Of the three systems, LED used the least energy (44% reduction compared to HPS). Simple payback was estimated to be around 12 years for retrofitting existing HPS with an LED luminaire, and 10 years in a new construction scenario. (June 2010)
Palo Alto ReportPDF
Palo Alto Report BriefPDF
Photo of a residential street at night, with an LED street light at left and an HPS street light at right.

 

LED Street Lighting: Lija Loop, Portland
On Lija Loop, a residential street in Portland, Oregon, eight high-pressure sodium cobra head fixtures were replaced with LED street light luminaires. Project results included an estimated payback of 7.6 years for new installations and 20 for replacement scenarios. (November 2009)
Lija Loop ReportPDF
Photo of a row of freezer cases at a supermarket with a ladder and workcart nearby and a maintenance worker standing next to them.

 

LED Freezer Case Lighting: Albertsons Grocery
At an Albertsons Grocery in Eugene, Oregon, upright freezer cases were retrofitted with LED striplights combined with occupancy sensors, and compared against standard fluorescent lighting on the opposite side of the aisle. Calculated payback periods approached five years from estimated energy and maintenance savings for a typical 5-door case. (October 2009)
Freezer Case ReportPDF
View at night looking down a bridge made up of two sections. Between the sections is a base holding two bright street lamps, shaped liked antennas, the left one curved to the left and the right one curved to the right.

 

LED Roadway Lighting: I-35W Bridge
The I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, features LED roadway lighting on the main span, offering DOE the opportunity to study the use of LED lighting in a highly challenging environment over the course of three years. Phase 1 was completed in September 2008. Phase 2, involving long-term monitoring of the LED lighting, is expected to yield valuable information on lumen depreciation, physical effects, and performance impacts over time. (August 2009)
Bridge Report, Phase 1PDF
Photo of an outdoor supermarket parking lot with four LED light poles in view.

 

LED Parking Lot Lighting: Raley's Supermarket
At a Raley's Supermarket in West Sacramento, California, several metal halide (MH) luminaires were replaced with new LED luminaires incorporating bi-level operation (dim state and full state) controlled by motion detectors. Results indicated an energy savings potential approaching 70% on an annual basis, a more uniform lighting distribution, and payback periods of less than five years. (February 2009)
Raley's ReportPDF
Aerial photo of a residential street at night, with LED street lights on the left side and high-pressure sodium street lights on the right.

 

LED Street Lighting: City of San Francisco
In the Sunset District of San Francisco, four manufacturers' LED street lights were installed on four public avenues to replace 100-watt nominal high-pressure sodium luminaires, independently demonstrating the performance of a number of currently available products in one specific application. (December 2008)
San Francisco ReportPDF
Photo at night of a parking garage filled with cars, with bright lights overhead.

 

LED Parking Garage Lighting: Providence Portland Medical Center (PPMC)
With an eye on replacing its aging stock of luminaires campus-wide, PPMC wanted to evaluate more energy-efficient lighting options. In this project, PPMC replaced several high-pressure sodium fixtures in the hospital parking garage with LED luminaires, enabling a side-by-side comparison of the lighting performance, quality, energy savings, and user feedback. (November 2008)
PPMC ReportPDF
PPMC Report BriefPDF
Photo of a kitchen with lit downlights.

 

LED Residential Downlights and Undercabinet Lights: 2008 Eugene Tour of Homes
LED downlights represent one of the most promising applications for SSL technology and significant energy savings. This project studied the installation of LED downlights and undercabinet lights in two "green" showcase homes in Eugene, Oregon. LED downlights are emerging as a viable energy-saving alternative to incandescent and fluorescent downlights. (October 2008)
Eugene ReportPDF
Photo at night of an empty street or parking lot with two rows of bright streetlights.

 

LED Walkway Lighting: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Technical Center
At the FAA Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, six modular LED luminaires were installed along exterior walkways, replacing six high-pressure sodium luminaires. Project results include photometric data, projected energy savings, payback analysis, and user feedback on perceived improved visibility. (March 2008)
FAA ReportPDF
FAA Report BriefPDF

Photo taken down the middle of a street at night, with a bright white streetlight halfway in the distance, a parked car just past the streetlight, and buildings and a yellow light in the distance.

 

LED Street Lighting: City of Oakland
The City of Oakland wanted to assess the energy, economic, and safety impacts of replacing high-pressure sodium (HPS) street lights with LED luminaires. This project involved installation of 15 LED street lights – ten on the LED-only street and five on the LED/HPS street. (Phase III, November 2008; Phase II, January 2008)
Oakland Report, Phase IIIPDF
Oakland Report Phase IIPDF
Oakland Report Brief Phase IIPDF