Tennessee public power utility Memphis Light, Gas and Water announced that it is the 2026 recipient of the Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award for Energy and Renewable Resources.
Tennessee's Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) chose MLGW for the award because of the Division's LED streetlight conversion project.
MLGW in partnership with the City of Memphis, and vendors Ameresco and Ubicquia, started converting more than 77,000 streetlights in 2023.
Streetlights were upgraded from older, halogen bulbs to longer-lasting and high-efficiency LEDs.
Since converting the streetlights: the amount of electricity consumed by streetlights is down 37,000 MWh a year; the utility is cutting out 26,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year; and the brighter lights help improve visibility and public safety, MLGW noted.
