Haapsalu Plans Switch to Energy Efficient Street Lihgting
The resort town of Haapsalu in Lääne County is planning to replace 800 high-pressure mercury-vapor street lamps with more energy efficient sodium lamps by 2013.
Struggling with economic difficulties, Haapsalu would be able to finance just up to 10 percent of the project. The town hopes to obtain the rest from the proceeds from the state’s carbon credit sales, ETV radio reported.
According to Peeter Vikman, deputy mayor of Haapsalu, the town currently has 2,000 street lamps, which consume a total of 1.1 gigawatt hours of energy each year.
Installing up-to-date street lighting, however, would bring the yearly consumption down to just 0.48 gigawatt hour, Vikman said.
This would mean savings of over 50,000 euros per year, he added.
Ingrid Teesalu