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Jul 12, 2023

Switching to LED street lighting can benefit small and mid

Business Writer Transitioning to LED street-lighting systems can prove to be

Business Writer

Transitioning to LED street-lighting systems can prove to be time-efficient and cost-effective for small- and medium-sized municipalities, a couple of energy officials said Wednesday morning.

"A lot of municipalities are interested in an energy-efficient program. This can reduce energy consumption and cost by 50 to 75%," Liz Compitello, manager of Sustainable Energy at Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, said at the beginning of "Shedding Light on Energy Efficiency: Exploring the RSLPP," a webinar organized by the Center for Energy Policy and Management at Washington & Jefferson College.

She and Mike Fuller, president of Keystone Lighting Solutions, discussed the benefits of switching to light-emitting-diode (LED) products during the program, part of CEPM's Energy Lecture Series.

Regional organizations, they said, can play a significant role in helping small and mid-sized municipalities to convert to LED projects. Compitello's DVRPC, which serves nine counties in southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, runs the Regional Streetlight Procurement Program, which compiles the resources needed to design, procure and finance these transitions, which can enhance local governments in the future.

Municipalities often face barriers en route to tackling an LED streetlight conversion. RSLPP is set up to help towns elude barriers, such as navigating the process, finding best solutions and trusted project partners, and paying upfront costs.

Another major obstacle is purchasing streetlights. "Utilities don't allow anyone to buy streetlights," said Fuller, of State College-based Keystone Lighting Solutions. Towns that own streetlights need to buy only electricity from utilities.

Municipal officials from around the state will benefit from hearing about DVRPC's model and its work to assist local governments with energy efficiency.

A video of the webinar will be available at wjenergy.org.

CEPM's next webinar, on March 8, will focus on renewable natural gas.

Form Energy will hold open interviews for manufacturing associates, technicians and engineers from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, 451 Racetrack Road, North Strabane Township.

The company said in a news release that positions offer full benefits, paid time off and a 401(k).

To register and for more information about the open positions, visit Form Energy's hiring event page on Indeed.com. Candidates should bring the latest paper copy of their resumes to the event.

Form, headquartered in Somerville, Mass., is an energy storage company that, since 2021, has operated a 52,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Eighty Four. The firm's advanced manufacturing team is at that location.

For more information about the company, visit formenergy.com.

Business Writer

Rick Shrum joined the Observer-Reporter as a reporter in 2012, after serving as a section editor, sports reporter and copy editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Rick has won eight individual writing awards, including two Golden Quills.

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