CITY OF HOUSTON GETTING GREENER ALL THE TIME

By Ella Tyler

The Houston City Council approved a contract Wednesday that devotes at least a third of the city’s energy purchases to wind-generated sources. The contract makes Houston a leader in green power use.

Mayor White instigated the change as a way to stabilize the cost of electricity after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita disrupted natural gas supplies, causing electricity prices to soar. According to the Mayor’s office, the city spent approximately $150 million on electricity in the last fiscal year – double what the city paid in 2004. Wind power is generally cheaper and more stable in price than other forms of power.

The city is also working to reduce its electric usage in a variety of ways.

More than 300 traffic signals have been converted to LED lamps. All new traffic signals will be LED lamps and the city is working now to replace all signals with LED signals. LED (Light Emitting Diode) traffic signals reduce energy costs by 90% over incandescent bulbs and have several other advantages.

LEDs last five times longer than incandescent bulbs, reducing maintenance costs. The lamps are made of several dozen LEDs, so the signal continues to function even if several of diodes stop working, unlike incandescent bulbs. When the filament of an incandescent bulb fails, the display goes dark, requiring immediate replacement. The lamps are brighter compared to incandescent bulbs, which enhances intersection safety. Drivers who are going east in the morning and west in the evening will appreciate that LED signals elimination the phantom effect. Incandescent bulbs use reflectors behind the bulbs so all colors seem to light up when the sunrays fall directly on these signals. LED lamps have no reflectors, so the problem is eliminated.

Solar power is used for downtown’s new parking stations and school zone signals and city officials are looking at solar devices to meet other needs. An innovative use of solar power is being tested at Lake Houston, where devices called “SolarBees” float in certain areas of the lake to keep lower waters oxygenated all year long, promoting the health of the natural ecosystem and prevening algal blooms.

Also, the city has completed the first two phases of a program to retime existing traffic signals to current traffic patterns and will continue the program across the city. The goal is to make improve reducing the amount of starting and stopping, and the time spend idling, thereby lowering air pollution from vehicular emissions, and reducing gasoline consumption.

Air pollution monitoring will be easier, since the city has recently acquired a mobile air-monitoring lab. The mobile lab will increase the city’s ability to identify and characterize air toxics emissions and determine the likely emission source. It will supplement existing technology such as hand-held infrared cameras that help pinpoint emission sources and a fixed-base air monitoring station in southeast Houston.

The Houston Power to People campaign was launched in May. Volunteers went door-to-door to homes handing out compact fluorescent lights and stores set up displays with information about steps Houstonians can take to minimize energy consumption in their homes. The program’s website presents energy-saving options.

Mayor White, City Council Member Carol Alvarado, and State Senator Rodney Ellis are proponents of “pedal power”. On Wednesday, they wielded shovels and broke ground for a new bikeway which will go to Discovery Green Park.