Philips Lighting and the Government of Aruba start an island-wide LED lighting transformation

Oranjestad, Aruba — Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting, and the Government of Aruba have entered an innovation alliance, an ambitious four-phase program (2016 – 2020) make-over of the island’s lighting infrastructure. The program includes indoor lighting system conversion of Aruba’s public buildings and energy efficient LED lighting for iconic sites outdoors. Energy-efficient lighting plays a prominent role in supporting Aruba’s Smart Island Strategy for sustainability. As part of this strategy, Aruba has a goal to use electricity from 100% sustainable sources by 2020.

The first phase of this project, to be delivered in 2016, sees 35 government buildings retrofitted with 17,246 LED lamps and 2,619 conventional indoor luminaires converted to LED to maximize energy-efficiency. In addition, two iconic squares, Plaza Padu and Paardenbaai Plaza, will burst into color using Philips Color Kinetics technology. Around 1,000 Philips iColor Flex LMX nodes, 94 Color burst luminaries, 64 Color Graze, and 20 C- Splash luminaries will provide amazingly lit, computer controlled water shows while 149 outdoor lighting points will guide the pedestrian routes used to welcome more than 1 million tourists that arrive in Aruba each year.

“Aruba is very committed to innovation for its community. We welcome Philips Lighting to our island, a company with 125 years of innovation and a trusted partner in helping us reduce and manage our energy consumption – ultimately supporting Aruba’s economic growth,” said Mike Eman, Prime Minister of Aruba.

No up-front capital investment and project paid for by energy savings

Philips Lighting estimates that the deployment of energy-efficient LED lighting on the island, could result in initial energy savings of more than 60 percent and lower annual CO2 emissions by 3,000 – 4,000 tons by 2020, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 2,000 to 3,000 households in Latin America and the Caribbean¹.

The project's financing comes from the energy savings obtained from the conversion to LED lighting. Under the agreement, Philips Lighting will pay the upfront costs of installing the luminaires and will be compensated by the energy savings achieved during a five-year period.

“Aruba’s sustainability vision is truly trailblazing and provides a template that other Caribbean islands could use. Working with the government we will provide a powerful combination of energy efficient lighting that will also beautify public spaces for the enjoyment of citizens and tourists. This will be positive for the environment and local economy alike,” said Hector Mendoza, Project Sales Manager of Philips Lighting Latin America.

¹ Source: World Energy Council

Notes to the editor:

Philips and the Government of Aruba signed a Memorandum of Innovation to help the island reduce and conserve energy. The island has the goal of running on electricity from 100 percent sustainable sources by 2020. The first phase has included project planning for all four phases and includes specification, design, capital for financing, RFP, and contract and technology assessment. In support of Aruba Government’s Smart Island Strategy for sustainability, Philips Lighting committed to revamp the island’s indoor lighting system in its public buildings and also for outdoor iconic spaces. As part of this innovation alliance, an in-depth assessment was conducted to support the ultimate goal to help Aruba achieve its energy independence as well as support its ambitions for economic development in targeted sectors, like tourism and hospitality. The government’s program will serve as a center of excellence for the development and testing of sustainable products and practices.