Measuring emissions from vintage street lamps

Lights powered by natural gas were common in cities across the United States. But many towns electrified these lights to save money.

“One famous example is natural gas was used to illuminate Ford's Theater where President Lincoln was shot in 1865. And they still have gaslights outside that theater, but it's been electrified inside,“ Townsend-Small told Resources Radio.

Today they light many historic districts across the country, including several neighborhoods in Cincinnati. 

Townsend-Small worked with UC history Professor David Stradling on the project.

Until 1930, Cincinnati employed lamplighters who would light and extinguish the street lamps every day, he found. Today, the lights in Cincinnati burn natural gas 24 hours a day.

She estimated that Boston would save hundreds of thousands of dollars by electrifying its natural gas lights. 

“Switching to electric streetlights will help save a lot of money and make the city safer,“ she said.

Townsend-Small told Resources Radio host Daniel Raimi that some people she spoke to preferred their charming historic gas lamps to harsh overhead street lights. Others noted the gaslights don't provide enough illumination.

And in some neighborhoods such as Clifton near UC's campus, neighbors lobbied the city to keep their gas streetlights when the city was considering converting them to electricity.

“Would they keep fighting for them if they knew about natural gas production and the climate implications of these lights — how natural gas production is affecting people who live in production areas?“ she asked. “I think the project opens up new avenues for research in preferences for fossil fuels.“

Featured image at top: UC Professor Amy Townsend-Small talked to the Resources Radio podcast about her examination of methane emissions from gas streetlights. Photo/iStockPhoto