LED Street Lighting – Seattle

I’ve read about the development of LED street lighting by Cree and a number of other manufactures and was curious just how well it actually worked.

Recently, I had the opportunity to see it in person. In Seattle on 10th Ave E between Harvard and Roy there is a section of street lighted by LED lights. It is both whiter and considerably brighter than the high-pressure sodium vapor lamps used elsewhere. I would have taken pictures but couldn’t find any place to park.

However, suffice it to say that LED’s are definitely up to the task. I worry a bit about the relatively broad spectrum and bright light, while visually better, might create worse light pollution and interfere with night sky viewing to a greater degree.