LIHUE, Kauai — Energy-efficient light-emitting diodes will soon be lighting Kauai’s streets.
The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative said Friday it will switch 2,900 street lights owned by Kauai County to LEDs. It will do the same for nearly 600 state Department of Transportation street lights on Kauai.
The latest LED lights use half the energy of traditional high-pressure sodium lights.
The county currently spends $1 million a year on street lights.
KIUC CEO David Bissell says the arrangement allows the county to cut its lighting bill and the utility to use less fossil fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The utility aims to generate 50 percent of its power from renewable resources by 2023.
The utility is paying for the retrofitting work. It will recover the cost from the county and state.