Water-powered LED lights to illuminate bridge

Councillors in north-west Ireland have given the go-ahead for developers to fix water-powered LED lights to a bridge.

Donegal County Council plans to incorporate 30 LED lights into a footbridge spanning the River Finn, Ballybofey.

At present, some of the LED lights run on solar energy, which helps to save the council money.

Toni Needham, energy development officer for the council, explained that the introduction of hydro-powered LED lighting will further cut energy bills.

The lights harness energy from the River Finn via a turbine located in the waterway.

Several LED bulbs can be powered by the turbine and, if it fails, solar panels will provide an alternative source of power.

Ms Needham said: “I think this will be the first in Ireland and it will be interesting to see how it works.

“It can produce enough energy to power up to three lights. However, we will just use one light at first.”

In other news, the owners of the Grand Pier, in Weston-super-Mare, recently announced plans to install LED lights on its walkway.