DEVICES have been installed to replace traditional street lights in Tralee, Co Kerry, in the first pilot project of its kind.
Project co-ordinator John Griffin of Tralee town council hopes the LED (light-emitting diode) fittings will eventually replace all of the town's 2,000 incandescent street lights.
Town councillor Terry O'Brien (Lab), former mayor of Tralee, said the town was anxious to pilot environmentally-friendly projects.
The new lighting devices around the square and Abbey Court areas of Tralee are being measured for cost effectiveness and the findings will be available to other local authorities.
Sustainable Energy Ireland is supporting the research.
The 30 new lights were installed free of charge by the ESB along with a UK company Low Energy Design.
LED fittings cost approximately twice as much as traditional fittings, but they give potential savings of 40 per cent per year, Mr Griffin said.
Tralee Town engineer Gerry Riordan said switching the half a million public lights nationally to LED could go a considerable way towards achieving the national local authority target of a 33 per cent reduction in energy costs.
Tralee town council is one of the constituencies being targeted by the Green Party for a seat in the next local elections. Almost 20 years ago Tralee was among the first towns to elect a Green party member.