DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 3, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq:CREE), a market leader in LED lighting, and the City of Welland, Ontario, Canada, announced that Welland has joined the LED City(r) initiative, an international program that promotes the deployment of energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) lighting. The city has converted many of its lighting applications to LEDs, including streetlights and traffic signals, and has additional projects underway. Welland has also amended its municipal standards to facilitate LED lighting for all future streetlight installations.
Welland has installed 50 LED streetlights along the revitalized area of Fitch Street and is formalizing plans for the installation of 50 additional street and pedestrian lights. The city's growing use of LEDs is targeted to help decrease the CAN$550,000 per year cost of operating its streetlights. The city plans to eventually retrofit all streetlights with LEDs, which could yield a savings of $253,980 per year.
"The City of Welland is committed to high-quality LED lighting that reduces energy and maintenance costs," said Mayor Damian Goulbourne. "Welland has been immersed in the testing of LED street lighting and aspires to become a green community, improving life for our residents. We look forward to promoting the benefits of our installations and sharing our experiences within the LED City program, helping to build a global municipal community committed to energy-efficient lighting."
"We welcome Welland into the LED City community. Welland city officials have carefully evaluated LED lighting options and are responsibly deploying LED lighting to provide better light while reducing energy and maintenance costs," said Deb Lovig, Cree's LED City program manager. "Welland is joining the LED lighting revolution and taking a leadership role in helping other cities learn the benefits of LED lighting in their own communities."
Welland has considerable experience with LED lighting:
* In 2005, the city converted all of its incandescent traffic
signals to LEDs, resulting in a 66 percent reduction in power
consumption.
* In 2007, Welland installed 50 LED streetlights along Fitch Street-
showing notable improvements on a street that was named one of the
top 20 worst roads in Ontario in 2005.
* In January 2008, Toronto's greenTbiz organization administered a
public-perception survey of LEDs in Welland. In the results, 73
percent of all respondents preferred the new LED streetlights. The
responses listed energy savings, cost savings, brighter light,
whiter color and decreased glare as some of the reasons for this
preference.
Welland city staff has specifically recommended that the city convert more of its lights to LEDs, citing the benefits of LED technology improvements. The city plans to convert its downtown decorative pedestrian lighting to LED as part of the city's downtown revitalization project. The 50 LED streetlights to be installed in Welland are based on the K56-EAR LED Series made by King Luminaire, and contain LED light engines from Welland-based CRS Electronics. The light engines use the performance-leading Cree XLamp(r) LED.
About LED City
The LED City is an expanding community of government and industry parties working to evaluate deploy and promote LED lighting technology across the full range of municipal infrastructure to:
*Save energy *Protect the environment *Reduce maintenance costs *Provide better light quality for improved visibility and safety.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 22 percent of electricity used in the U.S. powers lighting. In a world with soaring energy prices based on the availability and control of fossil fuels, and with growing concern about sustainability of the environment, a revolution in lighting is long overdue.
About Welland, Ontario, Canada
Welland, also known as "The Rose City," is located in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada, near the Welland Canal and Welland River. With a population of more than 50,000, Welland is known for its large French Canadian population and the Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology. The city spans 31.3 square miles with landmarks such as the Welland Recreational Waterway, Townline Tunnel and the Main Street Bridge. Welland is committed to environmental stewardship through the Brownfield Strategy/Community Improvement Plan, using financial incentives and municipal leadership to promote redevelopment and sustainability. For additional information, please refer to www.welland.ca.
King Luminaire Products
King Luminaire manufactures high-quality decorative outdoor lighting fixtures, fabricated metal poles, arms and site furnishings. The brand is part of the StressCrete Group, one of the oldest, most reliable manufacturers of spun concrete poles in North America. For additional information, please refer to www.stresscretegroup.com.
About CRS Electronics
Headquartered in Welland, Ontario, CRS Electronics engineers, designs and manufactures LED light engines and lamps for various applications including aviation, architectural, theatrical, retail signage/display, automotive, flashlights and emergency vehicles. CRS offers a state-of-the-art surface-mount assembly line that is optimized for LED assembly and custom manufacturing.
CRS has been a major source of vehicle lighting for buses and trucks for many years and was the inventor of the industry-leading Child Reminder System. In 2007, CRS completed one of the largest LED MR16 lighting retrofits in North America at the Palace Pier condominium tower in Toronto, Ontario. CRS has now embarked on a new line of general lighting products that include indoor LED down lights and high-output LED streetlights.
For additional information, please refer to www.crselectronics.com or call 905-788-9039 x.231.
About Cree
Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and setting the stage to obsolete the incandescent light bulb through the use of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting retrofit solutions, and semiconductor solutions for backlighting, wireless and power applications. Cree's product families include LED recessed down lights, lighting-class power LEDs, high brightness LEDs, blue and green LED chips, power-switching devices and radio-frequency/wireless devices. Cree solutions are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, backlighting, electronic signs and signals, variable-speed motors, and wireless communications. For additional product and company information, please refer to www.cree.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors such as risks inherent in conducting opinion surveys; the possibility that actual energy saving may vary from expectations; the potential lack of customer acceptance of LED products; the rapid development of new technology and competing products that may impair demand or render Cree's products obsolete; and other factors discussed in Cree's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 29, 2008, and subsequent filings.
Cree, XLamp and LED City are registered trademarks of Cree, Inc.
The Cree, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3529