Paseo de la Independencia retrofit lighting

One of the main streets in Zaragoza, Paseo de la Independencia connects two of the city’s most emblematic squares, Plaza de Aragón and Plaza de España. It’s a very lively thoroughfare, with people constantly coming and going to browse the shops, drink in the cafés or eat in the many restaurants.

In 2002, the city council had installed just over 65 impressive Hernandez/Fernandez ensembles to give this busy avenue a very distinctive character. Twenty-two years later, the lamps in the ensembles were no longer providing the required light levels and were consuming excessive amounts of electricity. As the city had embarked on a programme to upgrade its public lighting to more energy-efficient and sustainable technology, it wanted to replace the lighting on Paseo de la Independencia, but was keen to preserve the Hernandez/Fernandez ensembles which were still in excellent condition.
 

Retrofit LED lighting kits to preserve emblematic infrastructure

Our extensive experience in LED lighting upgrades led us to propose a retrofit solution that would preserve Zaragoza's iconic architectural ensembles while promoting a more sustainable approach. By simply replacing the existing optics, the city would also develop a more circular economy and reduce its financial investment.

To ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorists on this busy avenue, we carefully dismantled the top sections of the ensembles in small groups. These sections were then transported to our factory where we replaced the outdated discharge lamps with the latest energy-efficient LED technology.
 

Substantial energy savings with a better quality of light

All 66 Hernandez/Fernandez ensembles were fitted with 2 optics - one with a high-pressure sodium lamp to illuminate the road and one with a metal halide lamp to illuminate the footpath and give the structures a distinctive identity at night. 

Both optics were upgraded with LEDs, resulting in a total power consumption of 100W per ensemble. The retrofit lighting kit generates substantial energy savings of 78% and prevents up to 91 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

In addition, the LEDs provide a significantly higher colour rendering index, leading to improved visibility and enhanced safety on this heavily trafficked avenue.