City staff are always looking for cost savings and sustainable approaches to development challenges. In this case, it was a dark portion of the City Hall parking lot.

The solution was three new solar-powered parking lot lights. These lights are not connected to the electric grid and are less expensive than typical parking lot lighting. The lights have a solar panel and a battery storage system that is charged during the day and releases energy during the night. 

With a full charge, the lights can operate for up to five days, in case the solar panel is covered by snow that doesn’t melt. 

The solar-powered lights use LED lighting fixtures that are expected to last about 25 years. 

“The solar panel will last about 25 years, but the batteries will need to be replaced and recycled every five years,” said Energy and Facilities Project Coordinator Tom Ochtera. “This cost is similar to the monthly cost to operate our parking lot lights that are grid-tied.”

The lifecycle cost analysis, or “total-costing” of these lights, shows that the cost to purchase and operate the solar lot lights is about the same as the purchase and operation of typical parking lot lights. The direct cost savings comes from the installation of the poles. Typical parking lot lights have wires buried in a trench connecting them to the grid. 

“The cost of the trenching and restoration can run from $3,000 to $12,000 depending on the circumstance, while the cost for the concrete base is the same with either pole type,” said Ochtera. “For the solar lights, the cost is $2,500 per light no matter the installation circumstance.”

The first solar-powered lights installed in the city went up in the parking lot north of the new Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Westminster in 2017. In the parking lot of the Municipal Service Center, several lights were installed during that parking lot’s expansion. These solar-powered lights have been working perfectly, even when grid power is interrupted.

More solar lights are scheduled to be installed on the north side of the City Hall parking lot where additional lighting has been requested.  More of these lights will be installed around the city as the Community Development Department fulfills citizen’s requests for street lighting.

“The installation of these solar-powered lights in City Hall’s parking lot is another example of the city’s commitment to sustainability,” said Ochtera.