Tidbits from Nebraska and Beyond... News Bytes |
Grand Island Traffic Lights Go High Tech Even something as innocuous as changing traffic light bulbs can add up to big dollars. Grand Island, working in conjunction with Nebraska Public Power District, is replacing traditional incandescent bulbs in traffic lights with light-emitting diode LED, for short ones. The new LED bulbs use only 8 to 24 watts of power, compared to 150 watts used by incandescent bulbs. The new LED bulbs are expected to last up to 12 years before a replacement is needed. Based on an initial test at one traffic light, the city expects to save $400 a year in electricity costs for each traffic light that is converted to LED bulbs. Over the next four years, Grand Island plans on converting 71 traffic lights at a cost of $5,000 for each light. For more information about LED bulbs in traffic lights, contact Kent Rabourn at NPPD at 402-563-5909. |
The Oil America Uses Comes from Many Nations America's oil needs continue to be met by shipments from other nations. Based on data from the U.S. Department of Energy, from January to August in 2002, 57.6 percent of the oil and refined products came from foreign nations. The top five suppliers who met more than a third of our needs were:
A typical oil field The other nations in the top ten supplying oil to America included Iraq, the United Kingdom, Norway, Angola and Algeria. For the latest information on where the nation's imported oil and refined petroleum products originates, visit the American Petroleum Institute's web site at http://api-ec.api.org/industry/index.cfm |
Solar Powered Lights To Glow at Union Pacific's North Platte Rail Yard In July 2002, Union Pacific Railroad ordered 350 blue rail yard signal lights from Canarah, a Canadian firm. What makes these lights unusual is that they combine energy efficient light-emitting diode technology with rechargeable batteries and small solar cells.
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