LED lighting has become a key component of municipal energy efficiency policies in Spain. More and more city councils are replacing traditional street lighting with low-consumption technology, not only to reduce electricity bills, but also to improve safety, visual quality, and sustainability.
In parallel, scientific research is advancing in the development of new materials that improve the chromatic stability and performance of LEDs, reinforcing this technology as a priority option for public lighting, sports facilities and urban spaces with high lighting demands.
Durango: massive renovation of outdoor lighting with LED
In Durango, the nighttime landscape is changing rapidly thanks to a contract worth over €5,6 million (excluding VAT) awarded to Emartin Facilities SA for the comprehensive maintenance and energy management of outdoor lighting over the next ten years. The project focuses on replacing 3.062 conventional light fixtures with high-efficiency LED equipment , which will reduce energy consumption and improve light uniformity.
The improvements are already particularly visible in neighborhoods like Tabira and San Fausto, where poorly lit areas have been eliminated and greater intensity and quality of light is noticeable at night. Residential and peri-urban areas, which previously suffered from dimly lit zones, now have a more uniform lighting standard, designed for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic.
The deployment is not limited to changing the light fixtures. The plan includes the protection and renewal of the supporting infrastructure : anti-rust painting work is planned for some 2.000 metal poles to extend their lifespan, as well as the replacement of some 350 deteriorated poles with new polyester poles, which are more resistant and adapted to current needs.
The project is organized in several phases. In the first phase , now largely complete, work has been carried out in neighborhoods such as Tabira, Aliendalde, and Aramotz, where a noticeable improvement in light and nighttime safety is evident. In the second phase, underway between January and April 2026 , the work has extended to areas such as San Fausto, Landako, and Muruetatorre, broadening the scope of the program.
The next step will be the renovation of the Old Town and Erretentxu , scheduled between May and July. In these areas, LED streetlights will be installed, designed to respect the aesthetics of the established environment while incorporating the same technology as in the rest of the municipality. The aim is to strike a balance between heritage preservation and modernization of the street lighting.
Monzón: More than 200 new LED streetlights and savings of nearly 65%
The Monzón City Council is also making progress in the gradual conversion of its public lighting to LED technology . In this new phase, more than 200 streetlights are being replaced on main thoroughfares such as Avenida de Almunia and Rambla del Cinca Medio, with plans to continue on a dozen additional streets.
The supply of the new lighting fixtures is being handled by Suministros Eléctricos Huesca , under a contract worth approximately €23.316. The company not only beat the initial bid price but also provided a greater number of light points than initially specified in the tender documents, allowing for coverage of more sections of track than originally planned.
The works extend along busy roads and residential areas: from the roundabout at the intersection of Almunia Avenue and Fonz Avenue, Pueyo Avenue, Deportes Street, Rambla del Cinca Medio, the old town, and various streets such as Navarra, Gerona, and Sariñena , among others. The city council's criteria prioritizes areas with older streetlights and higher energy consumption, many of which have inadequate lighting.
According to Mayor Isaac Claver, the municipality has been implementing a phased LED lighting upgrade plan for several years, with a cumulative investment of approximately €300.000 across all neighborhoods, as well as in the outlying districts of Selgua and Conchel. Thanks to this effort, energy savings of approximately 65% have been achieved , resulting in a reduction in the municipal electricity bill and less frequent replacements due to the longer lifespan of LED bulbs.
Neighborhoods like Selgua, Conchel, the old town, and La Carrasca already have 100% LED lighting , while in El Palomar, the new investment will leave the area practically complete. In the remaining neighborhoods, the city council is working on the areas where lighting was most deficient, with the aim of standardizing the light level throughout the city.
Vélez-Málaga: the Torre del Mar seafront is updated with 744 LED lights
On the Málaga coast, the Vélez-Málaga City Council has announced a complete renovation of the lighting along the Torre del Mar seafront promenade , a popular area for both residents and tourists. The project includes replacing 744 light fixtures with LED technology , with the expectation of reducing energy consumption by more than 61%.
This decrease in consumption translates, according to municipal data, into an estimated savings of around €127 per day , amounting to more than €43.300 per year. The project is financed with European funds under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan , and has a budget of €319.432 and an implementation period of approximately two months.
The new lights will be distributed throughout different areas of the promenade and its immediate surroundings. Eighty-one lights will be installed along the main promenade next to the bike lane, and 113 on the opposite side . In addition, 182 lights will be placed in green areas and interior passageways, 93 along the road parallel to the promenade, and 162 for the beach lighting, including floodlights for the lighthouse playground.
Work will also be carried out on the opposite side of the road , with 26 streetlights installed between Avenida Toré Toré and Paseo de Larios, and five more between Calle La Arena and the area around the CEIP Antonio Checa school. In addition, lighting will be added to adjacent streets, including three lights on Calle Yunquera and seven on Calle Río Seco, extending the improvements to the entire coastal area.
The winning company has also incorporated several additional improvements : 28 streetlights on the section of Avenida Andalucía between Avenida Victoria Kent and the Race roundabout, 16 more from that roundabout to the entrance of the port of Caleta de Vélez, and another 26 in the area around Calle Playa Marina and the nearby parking lot. The city council considers this project a decisive step in strengthening safety, energy efficiency, and the appearance of the waterfront.
León: LED lighting for avenues, promenades and high-traffic areas
The León City Council is continuing its strategy to modernize public lighting with LEDs , paying particular attention to roads with heavy traffic and high-traffic areas. One of the ongoing projects is the installation of new lighting on Avenida de la Facultad , with an investment of €312.420 carried out by the company Sistelec Iván SL.
This road has undergone a complete renovation of its lighting system , including the installation of 46 new four-meter-tall poles for pedestrian traffic, reinforced with two ten-meter-tall double-arm poles to cover both the roadway and the sidewalks. The aim is to provide more uniform and safer visibility by using dimmers in the most problematic sections.
The city council has extended the improvements to three other key locations : the Paseo de la Condesa, the Polígono X industrial park, and the parking lot of the Reino de León Municipal Stadium. Twenty four-meter-high light poles have been installed on the Paseo de la Condesa, restoring quality lighting to this pedestrian and leisure area.
In Polígono X, the work has focused on Moisés de León Street , where the old streetlights have been replaced with 15 new LED units between Bordadores and José María Pereda Streets. This is a residential area where the improved lighting directly impacts the sense of security among residents and the ease of daily commutes.
Visibility in the parking lot of the Reino de León Municipal Stadium has been improved with the installation of six nine-meter-high galvanized steel poles equipped with high-powered floodlights. This measure is especially important during large events, facilitating access to and from the venue and reducing shaded areas in the parking lot.
The next planned interventions will focus on Granados Street, the El Ejido neighborhood (San Pedro Street), the area around the Cathedral (Canela Street), and the San Marcos bowling alley . All these actions have a dual purpose: to increase energy efficiency in line with European sustainability goals and to address specific lighting needs in areas considered critical.
Sports facilities: LEDs to improve visibility and reduce consumption
The modernization of lighting is not limited to streets and squares. Numerous municipal sports complexes are migrating to LED systems to ensure more uniform visibility, reduce costs, and offer better playing conditions. A clear example is pitch 1 at the La Granja Sports Complex in Jerez, where a specific upgrade was recently carried out.
The City Council has undertaken a project to replace traditional streetlights with 12 LED lights of 1.000 and 1.500 W , with an investment of approximately €18.014. The work was carried out by Javier Pérez, SA, a Jerez-based company specializing in medium and low voltage installations and working at heights, given the complexity of this type of project.
The installation of the new system has resulted in a significant improvement in the quality of the playing field's lighting . The light is now more uniform, shadow areas have been reduced, and there is better contrast and depth perception—factors that directly influence athletic performance, especially in disciplines like football.
To fine-tune the performance of each light, technicians used high-precision laser measuring systems and LED controllers that allow for precise adjustment of the luminaires' tilt and orientation. This calibration phase, carried out at night, followed the manufacturer's specifications in detail to achieve a homogeneous light distribution without glare.
Before work began, a detailed preliminary study of the site was carried out , taking into account field dimensions, access points, and the selection of the most suitable lifting equipment. Throughout the entire process, attention has been paid to compliance with occupational health and safety regulations, which are especially important for work at heights. With this project, the city council takes another step in improving its sports facilities based on efficiency and sustainability criteria.
The science behind LED lighting: color stability and new generations of phosphors
While municipalities are upgrading their streetlights, the scientific community is working to perfect the materials that make LED lighting possible . One of the key challenges is color stability (see more about LED colors ): ensuring that the light maintains the same color tone even as the device's temperature increases, a common issue with compact or high-power luminaires.
A team from the Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter , Chinese Academy of Sciences, recently published a study in the journal Materials Futures that helps clarify why some phosphors used in LEDs change color with temperature. This phenomenon, known as heat-induced emission peak shift (HIEPS) , caused certain materials to shift their emission toward warmer or cooler tones when heated, and classical models did not adequately explain these differences.
Researchers have analyzed in detail the M₂SiO₄:Eu²⁺ family of green and yellow phosphors (where M can be Sr, Ba, or Ca) , which exhibit opposite thermal responses despite having very similar crystal structures. Using first-principles calculations and the frozen phonon method, they have studied how the electronic states of the europium ion interact with the vibrations of the crystal lattice.
The study concludes that the determining factor is a highly localized coupling between the emitting electrons (of the Eu²⁺ ion) and specific vibrational modes of the crystalline environment. As the temperature increases, the ion does not vibrate uniformly in all directions, but rather follows energetically favorable patterns that distort the orbital involved in light emission.
The key lies in the variation of the energy difference between the excited state Eu-5d and the ground state Eu-4f , a parameter called Δf-d that acts as a direct descriptor of the emission color. When electron-phonon coupling modifies this parameter, the wavelength of the emitted light shifts in a measurable way, explaining why some compounds shift towards the red end of the spectrum and others towards the blue end when heated.
Beyond the theoretical explanation, this approach opens the door to the predictive design of new thermally stable phosphors . Through advanced simulations, it is possible to anticipate a material's behavior before synthesizing it, optimizing color stability, luminous efficacy, and suitability for each application. This is especially relevant for sports lighting, architectural projectors, and LED horticulture , where the spectrum and color constancy directly influence performance.
The model also shows promise for display technologies such as micro-LEDs or high dynamic range displays , which require very precise color control. The team plans to extend this theoretical framework to phosphors activated with other ions such as Ce³⁺ or Tb³⁺, with the aim of establishing quantitative design rules applicable to a wide range of luminescent compositions.
Taken together, the combination of municipal lighting renovation projects and scientific advances in LED materials is creating a scenario in which cities can reduce consumption, improve safety and offer more comfortable lighting, while technology evolves towards increasingly efficient, stable solutions adapted to the needs of European urban and sports spaces.
