By Tamara Rogova
Akademicheskaya is the first Minsk street to use LED illumination, with energy efficient Phoenix lamps installed (developed by the National Academy of Sciences’ Centre for LED and Optoelectronic Technologies jointly with Philips). In all, 26 lamps are installed in Akademicheskaya, each having 72 LED modules. “This is a pilot project but I’m convinced it’ll lead to LED lamps being used on other streets and avenues — probably chosen by tender,” says the Chairman of the National Academy of Sciences’ Presidium, Anatoly Rusetsky. He adds that the Centre is ready to provide the best quality test-proven lamps for streets.
Arjan de Jongste, CEO of Philips in Russia and the CIS, stresses that the technology is cost efficient, saving 40-50 percent of energy. According to the Director of the National Academy of Sciences’ Centre for LED and Optoelectronic Technologies, Yuri Trofimov, the use of LED street lamps should save up to 60 percent of energy. “The existing lamps consume 175W of energy but our new 114W lamps provide the same illumination. Meanwhile, the programme cuts energy consumption at midnight by another 50 percent — consuming just 57W,” he explains.
The new street lamps in Akademicheskaya should last 15 years and are expected to pay for themselves within five and a half years. As the National Academy of Sciences notes, LED products manufactured and sold in the first two years have already paid for themselves in saved electricity (having been paid for from state funds).
The Centre joined Philips in developing street LED modules in 2009 and, in 2011, mass production of unique LUXEON-based LED modules began at the National Academy of Sciences — known as Phoenix.
sAt present, the Academy produces a range of models for such street lamps.
