LYNN — In honor of Earth Day, state, regional and local officials announced Thursday the conclusion of the installation of energy- and cost-saving light-emitting diode (LED) streetlights in 77 cities and towns across the Commonwealth.
Mayor Thomas M. McGee, who spoke from the parking lot at the Lynn Vocational Technical Institute Annex Building, expressed his gratitude and support for the project, saying that climate change is real and is definitely happening.
“We see it here in the community and we know we need to address it together,” McGee said.
Converting all of the streetlights in Lynn to LED took about two years, and McGee said they worked from day one to make that program a reality.
The Department of Energy Resources (DOER) grant program, including nine majority Environmental Justice communities, gave more than $5.5 million for the installation of 116,139 new LED streetlights. Lynn received $263,242 of that funding and was one of the first municipalities to begin the program about three years ago.
The Rapid LED Streetlight Conversion Program was administered by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) on behalf of DOER, and saves time and money for participating communities through MAPC’s collective purchasing; the program also aims to save on energy — LED technology is capable of decreasing electricity usage by 50 to 70 percent — and the cost of maintenance.
McGee said the new street lights provide increased visibility across the city and have resulted in annual cost savings of more than $300,000 for the city.
“Not only are the lights better, they’re safer and brighter,” said McGee. “We’re making some substantial savings in the community and we’re really adding, on this Earth Day, to the steps we need to take together to address climate change and the impacts it has on this community.”
MAPC Deputy Director Rebecca Davis said thinking about climate change and making a difference can feel overwhelming, but projects like this are a win-win.
“We’ve saved communities money. We’re saving greenhouse gases and this is how we go about solving climate change,” Davis said. “Step by step, in partnership together.”
State Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Patrick Woodcock referred to the project as a historic conversion of street lights across the Commonwealth.
Woodcock said energy efficiency has put Massachusetts in a leadership role on climate change.
“I think on Earth Day, you look at accomplishments but you also reflect on what you want for Earth Day as a future and this program is instructive,” Woodcock said. “It’s instructive that a decade ago, this technology did not even exist. Now it is ubiquitous.”
Climate change is a crisis that states across the country have been working to combat and Woodcock said projects like this can improve the climate for future generations and achieve ambitious climate goals.
Last month, Gov. Charlie Baker signed climate legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect environmental justice communities. The Baker-Polito administration committed to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
The legislation will combat climate change while growing the states’ economy by reducing emissions, authorizing the administration to implement a new voluntary, energy-efficient building code for municipalities, and allowing the Commonwealth to procure an additional 2,400 megawatts of clean, reliable offshore wind energy by 2027.
Woodcock said continued investments like this must be made to shift to clean energy not only in the communities that can afford it, but especially in the communities that can’t.
“By making these investments, we can reinvest in the historic efforts of marginalized communities and reinvest in the housing and members of all communities across the Commonwealth,” Woodcock said.
McGee said the project is a win across the board and he looks forward to seeing the long-term benefits of the new streetlights.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected].
