Town of Banff

OSRAM and Banff Light the Way

November 6 2007

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OSRAM and Banff, Canada light the way with environmentally-friendly LED streetlights

Pilot program brings energy saving lights to Banff National Park

Santa Clara, Calif. and Banff, AB – The Canadian town of Banff, located in a UNESCO World Heritage Center national park, has joined forces with OSRAM to launch a pilot project to convert its street lighting to LEDs. Eight street lights have been upgraded to LED lighting with the goal of reducing energy consumption by 36%. This project is further evidence of OSRAM's pioneering role in the LED market and its commitment to lowering energy consumption for the benefit of the environment.

The Town is located in Banff National Park, which was established in 1885 in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Uniquely situated in the middle of unblemished nature, Banff has been at the forefront of environmental protection. This joint project, which was initiated together with OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, will further enhance the reputation of this community as a pioneer in environmental protection. OSRAM Opto Semiconductor has a long history in not only creating sustainable lighting products but taking a sustainable approach to product design, development, manufacturing and distribution.

"We are very excited to be working with OSRAM Opto Semiconductors on this LED lighting project to explore alternative lighting solutions," said Mayor of Banff John Stutz. "Collaborations such as these are essential especially given rising energy costs and environmental concerns."

The goals of the project are to gather performance data and track energy consumption information during variable weather and lighting conditions in order to identify permanent future solutions.  

The eight new LED streetlights were installed just in time for daylight savings. The long life of LEDs of up to 50,000 hours (compared with 15,000 hours for the original light sources) will reduce maintenance costs over the long term and lower energy consumption will help reduce CO2 emissions.

In addition, the LED streetlights maximize illumination and maintain intensity throughout the lit area better than the existing lamps. The streetlights' fixture design and sharp directional nature also adhere to one of Banff's environmental priorities, which is to help preserve and protect the nighttime environment (including views of the night sky) through quality outdoor lighting.

"For the first time we are able to observe the use of LEDs in a day-to-day situation under the virtual laboratory conditions of a small town, giving us immediate insight into the ecological and economic benefits of our LED lights on the community," said Dr. Rudiger Muller, CEO at OSRAM Opto Semiconductors. "This important new knowledge will help increase the speed of bringing LED lighting to the general lighting market. We expect LEDs to become the light source of choice for outdoor street lighting."

About OSRAM Opto Semiconductors
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH of Regensburg is a wholly owned subsidiary of OSRAM, one of the two leading lighting manufacturers in the world. It offers its customers solutions based on semiconductor technology for lighting, sensing and visualization applications. The company employs more than 3,600 people worldwide and operates sites in Regensburg (Germany), Santa Clara (USA) and Penang (Malaysia). Sales for the fiscal year ending September 2006 totaled more than EUR 500 million. For more information, visit www.OSRAM-os.com.

Contacts

Carrie Riley
Garrand
(207) 772-3119
criley@garrand.com
    
Kate Cleveland
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors
(248) 277-8018
kate.cleveland@osram-os.com