OUTPOST SOLAR INSTALLATION
LED North America has completed its first large-scale commercial lighting project for Outpost Solar. The 44,000 sq ft facility is located at 102 Long Street in Pulaski, TN. Wilson Stevenson, President of Outpost Solar, said, “We are very pleased with the light quality of our new building. We believe we are the first commercial industrial building in entire TVA footprint to be completely illuminated using LED lighting. I would also like to thank the Tennessee Solar Institute and ARRA for the funding to make this project possible”.
The manufacturing area comprises 40,000 sq ft and is illuminated by 180 LED North America “Manhattan” high bay luminaires. These fixtures incorporate a graphite foam technology licensed exclusively by LED North America from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and come with an industry leading 10 year warranty. Because of the superior thermal management provided by this technology, the LEDs operate cooler – extending their life and achieving greater light output with lower energy usage. Utilizing only 84 watts, the Manhattan delivers a powerful 7,926 lumens – an efficacy ratio of an outstanding 94 lumens/watt. Light level readings performed at night consistently registered between 25-27 foot candles throughout the facility. By electing to use the LED North America Manhattan high bay light for its manufacturing floor, Outpost Solar reduced its annual energy cost for lighting this area by an estimated $4,000 when compared to T5 HO fluorescents and $8,000 for metal halides.
Outpost also decided to use LED lighting to illuminate the 4,000 sq ft office area. Seventy-two ceiling mounted fixtures, each containing four LED tube lights, were installed to light the administrative work stations, offices and common areas. Each LED tube consumes only 18 watts and, as there is no external power supply required for this type of fixture, reduces energy consumption by over 55% in comparison to traditional fluorescent lighting and eliminates maintenance expense. The LED tubes carry a 5 year warranty.
Not to be overlooked, the facility’s exterior also uses LEDs for illumination. The exterior, security and parking lot are illuminated by fourteen LED cobra head street lights that employ the graphite foam for thermal management. Warranted for ten years, the LED cobra head lighting will eliminate maintenance expense and avoid more than $20,000 of electricity costs over their life.
Andrew Wilhelm, President of LED North America, said, “We are very appreciative of the forward thinking of Wilson and Outpost Solar. These lights will serve Outpost well, for many years to come. We would also like to thank Frankewing Construction and especially Charles Oman. They did a super job installing the lights. Any company that is serious about managing their energy costs has to consider LEDs. LED Lighting is truly the low hanging fruit when it comes to controlling energy expenditures.”
Andy Geshwiler, LED North America’s Marketing and Sales Vice President added, “LED lighting makes great economic and environmental sense. The support from TVA and the federal government is there to help offset costs. Our LED fixtures will improve the light quality of the work environment for your employees and enhance safety and productivity while at the same time reduces energy bills and maintenance expenses.”
LED North America, founded in 2008, is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee in the Tech 2020 Building; an incubator facility for the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Their mission is to deliver technologically advanced LED lighting solutions at an attractive Return on Investment price point. Concentrating on commercial lighting applications for roadways, parking lots, parking garages, and indoor high bay applications, LED North America has developed an “Advanced Thermal Management (ATM)” technology that utilizes a graphite foam developed by ORNL. LED North America has an exclusive Intellectual Property license with ORNL for the use of this technology in all LED heat sink applications. The foam currently is being used by NASA and the US Military. The graphite foam is used to passively dissipate the heat within the LED light with much greater efficiency than conventional aluminum heat sinks. Using the foam decreases the operating temperatures of the LED light components significantly, thus extending their life. Because of this fact, LED North America can offer a 10 year warranty on all commercial lighting products that incorporate the graphite foam technology. For additional information please call 865-481-3600 or visit www.led-na.com.
Outpost Solar, located in Pulaski, TN, designs and manufactures innovative solar energy systems. Outpost Solar’s creative solutions for solar energy implementation range from 5kW off-grid systems designed for the most remote areas of the world, to grid-tied systems that generate a megawatt or more. Outpost Solar provides its clients with the necessary expertise to assess their needs and maximize the return on their investment. Their professionals provide complete project management services: design build, installation, financing, and tax incentive optimization. For additional information on Outpost Solar please call 800-416-8374 or visit www.outpostsolar.com.