Coimbra will become the “first world city 100 % LED" (light- emitting diode) in public lighting, within the European project Transparense, announced today by the University of Coimbra (UC).

The city will reach this status by 2015, which will allow the city to "energy savings of around 70 %", with the "installation of about 35,000 lamps" using light emitting diode technology (LED).

The installation of the luminaires on the Coimbra’s public lighting network is part of a pilot project of energy performance contracts (CDE), which will be developed under the Transparense and "should be completed in 2015".

The pilot project related to “efficient public lighting in the municipality of Coimbra" will be followed by a team of researchers from the Institute of Systems and Robotics (ISR) – UC.

The installation process of about 35 000 lights will be in charge of the ISA Coimbra companies (Intelligent Sensing Anywhere) and MRG (Manuel Rodrigues Gouveia), said a statement from UC released today.

The Transparense European project aims to "increase market transparency and honesty of energy services throughout Europe and especially to facilitate the development and implementation of energy performance contracts (CDE)".

Budgeted at 2.1 million euros, research is funded by the Europe Intelligent Energy and brings together 20 European partners.

One of the main activities of Transparense is the "development of a European code for good practice, which allows the qualification of CDE", explains Carlos Patrão and Paula Fonseca, two of UC ISR researchers involved in the project.

This code, which "will serve not only the energy service companies but also their customers" it is "composed of a set of rules that are already under discussion in several countries in order to adapt the generalized conditions of the specific circumstances of each participating country ", refer those experts.

"Helping to improve the transparency of CDE markets, while at the same time, the quality and reliability of energy services supply" is "the great goal of the project" summarize Carlos Patrão and Paula Fonseca.

Other publications were produced about this project in partnership with MRG – Engenharia e Contsrução:

http://www.dn.pt/portugal/interior/coimbra-primeira-cidade-no-mundo-com-iluminacao-led-3653190.html http://www.publico.pt/local/noticia/coimbra-vai-poupar-na-iluminacao-publica-sob-o-olhar-atento-da-universidade-1621324 http://www.construir.pt/2014/01/27/coimbra-pioneira-na-iluminacao-publica-totalmente-led/