Budapest's traffic lights will soon not only be brighter, they will also cause less of a strain on both the city's treasury and the environment. Together with a Hungarian transportation system specialist, Siemens is equipping all the traffic lights of the city with light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These semiconductor light sources consume up to 90 percent less power, and they are brighter than the conventional lamps in traffic lights. Since LEDs last up to 100,000 operating hours, they have to be replaced only about every ten years — so there is no longer any need to replace lamps constantly. Despite a high initial investment, the city treasurer incurs no additional charges: A financing model distributes the costs over monthly installments that are smaller than the savings from the lower power consumption and maintenance costs. The project, which will be completed in 2008, has a volume of €28 million. Siemens Financial Services (SFS) is one of the partners.

The regular replacement of the previous 220-volt lamps entails great expense for Budapest. In addition, the light signal is difficult to see when light is falling on the lamp at an unfavorable angle. The LED technology, on the other hand, achieves the highest phantom class. This means that the light-emitting diodes can easily be seen even in glaring sunshine. The consortium of Siemens and Vilati Kft. is installing a total of 33,000 traffic light boxes and 250 control units. The project also includes a maintenance contract that runs until 2016.

SFS has similar projects under way in Germany, for example in Freiburg. There, Siemens is currently replacing 53 traffic signals. Because of the elimination of maintenance costs and the 350,000-kilowatt reduction in power consumption, the city expects annual savings of €155,000 and a 240-ton decrease in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In all, Siemens is investing €1.7 million in Freiburg. The financing plan is similar to that used in Budapest, with repayment occurring over a period of 15 years. The annual repayment of €140,000 is less than the sum of the savings. The modernization can thus be financed on the basis of the existing budget for traffic signals. (IN 2006.09.3)