Energy News Network
By now, most Chicagoans know the famous yellow-orange glow of nighttime Chicago will soon be a thing of the past. The iconic haze comes from hundreds of thousands of high-pressure sodium street lamps, which are being replaced with energy-saving LEDs. City leaders boast that the new bulbs will emit a superior, clear white light while using half to three-quarters the energy.
What do the new lights look like from the sky?
Drone photographer Ryan Koverman of Windy City Drones gave us a look, going up near the intersection of Touhy Avenue and Paulina Street in the Northside neighborhood of Rogers Park. The spot is one of seven pilot locations installed in December 2016.
***More: Chicago dials down LED street lamp intensity — and controversy***
The intersection provides a perfect vantage to see the difference in the old and the new. Half of the lamps at the intersection — to the north and east — have been replaced with LEDs, while the other half — to the south and west — have not: