US President Obama announced an acceleration in the “Presidential Challenge for Outdoor Lighting” program that is being administered by the US Department of Energy (DOE) under the Better Buildings program. Obama had earlier called for 500,000 poles to be retrofitted with energy-efficient lighting, primarily LED-based fixtures, by 2016. On Friday, Jan. 23, 2015 at the US Conference of Mayors meeting, the President upped the goal to 1.5 million LED street light poles by May 2016, citing the interest from states and cities as the reason for the raised goal.
