Meteorologist Jim Nichols

We all know that green lights mean go, so why can’t green lights go…well…green? Using LED lights and solar panels, a Japanese company has developed a traffic light that is wireless and completely self-contained. The manufacturer claims these new sun-dependant traffic signals could save thousands of dollars in energy costs over the long term. It still seems like there is a lot of research that needs to be done before these become mainstream throughout the world, but it’s a good start.

This idea isn’t completely new. Over the last few years many communities have used this kind of solar powered LED technology to light up those blinking “school crossing” signs when needed. Solar panels are also the main power source for emergency call boxes found on the side of the highway and the venerable large blinking orange arrow that forces you to merge three lanes into one. LED lamps are the kind of technology that you wish I invented. They require little electricity, rarely (if ever) burn out and shine bright enough to be seen miles away. LED’s are the way of the future and probably the greatest revelation to lighting since Thomas Edison.

There are lots of other nice little side benefits from a solar powered traffic light though. When the lights go out…where do the cops go first? Intersections and traffic control. With a solar-powered light independent of the electrical grid, the traffic lights would still work like a charm. This would allow the police to focus elsewhere when the power goes out.

So while we’re on a LED kick, let’s take it a step farther…shall we? How about street lamps? The city of Dania Beach, Florida has now undertaken the task of installing 124 solar powered street lamps. Again, those low powered, high brightness beauties called LED’s play a crucial role here. Apparently the city came up with idea after the local power company was too slow in responding to burned out street lamps. Again, this is another idea that I wish I would’ve thought of! Imagine street lamps that are independent of the power grid (and would work in a power outage), and never have to have a bulb replaced…brilliant!

Of course, this kind of thing takes time. I have been using those little solar powered lamps in my garden for years and they rarely last into the evening and produce nary a faint glow. But the key here is progress. We can’t achieve any kind of advancements in “green” light technology unless we are willing to keep experimenting. Could you imagine if Thomas Edison stopped trying after his hundreds of failures to perfect the light bulb? We are in a similar, exciting time right now.

It will probably be a while before green lights get the “green light” in your town, but know that change is coming soon. The safety benefits alone are enough to keep everyone trying!