As of October 1, 2016, the SWUTC concluded its 28 years of operation and is no longer an active center of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. The archived SWUTC website remains available here.

A Green Energy Application to Traffic Control

RoadsandBridges

A recent SWUTC study examines the deployment of solar-powered traffic control devices by evaluating the installation and maintenance costs of solar panels and LED retrofits versus traditional incandescent bulb installations.  Using data gathered in Houston, Texas researchers found that retrofitting traditional incandescent bulbs to LED, while initially costly, will yield benefits in less than five years.  And with the installation of solar panels, energy consumption would be pushed to virtually zero.  With the solar panel’s 35-40 year life span, the long-term benefits of their installation outweigh the initial costs.

Latest study results were highlighted in the January 2013 issue of Roads & Bridges in an article titled:  Traffic Sunlights: Houston Takes a Hard Look at Solar-Powered Devices.

For more information on this study, contact:  Khosro Godazi, Texas Southern University, (713) 313-7925