General Motors is reducing energy costs by 80 per cent, saving $780,000 a year, in what is the world’s largest LED upgrade, converting its entire 815,000 square foot stamping plant in the US.
CleanTechnica reported that the project by ALLED Lighting Systems involved over 1600 fixtures so far with another 4000 more to go, and that in one factory the energy costs had been reduced by over 80 per cent.
The completed part of the LED retrofit project in Lordstown, Ohio is the replacement of 1328 1000-watt and 283 400-watt metal halide fixtures at the complex’s stamping plant with 1246 LED fixtures ranging from 90 to 360 watts.
Overall, the retrofit will involve six million square feet of factory space.
The upgrade also contains a wireless energy management system called ALLink to further reduce energy costs.
“ALLink provided Lordstown with an opportunity never before seen in the industry,” GM Lordstown site utility manager Chuck Simpson said. “We can wirelessly control our lights without having to spend the significant time and resource installing a separate control system and adding additional servers.”
Each fixture can also manage light levels in real time and can, for example, ramp down light levels if sensors detect a high amount of natural light.
ALLED Lighting Systems president David McAnally said the project was “the world’s largest indoor LED installation with this type of built-in, fully integrated wireless control system”.
“General Motors is clearly sending a signal to the world that it is going to be a leader in the industry in innovative, green energy solutions for its facilities,” he said.
