Case study August 2026
Albuquerque, NM
Located on the outskirts of Albuquerque, Speedway Park Boulevard cuts through open desert alongside I-40. The long, straight frontage road carries traffic at all hours, providing access to the city landfill, detention center, and speedway—but until recently, the four-mile stretch from the city limits to the turnoff was unlit.
The combination of darkness, high speeds, and steady traffic created a serious safety concern. Numerous crashes had occurred along the route, including two fatal nighttime incidents involving corrections officers. The fatalities intensified community calls for action and helped accelerate the project.
Improving safety along the corridor was a multi-phase, multi-agency effort. Bernalillo County first installed lighting around the detention center in 2017, followed by a City of Albuquerque project on Shelley Road in 2024. The final phase addressed the remaining four-mile section of frontage road, completing a continuously lit route.
However, closing that gap came with a problem. With no electrical infrastructure nearby, conventional roadway lighting would have required extensive trenching through the remote desert landscape to bring power to each light. At the same time, the open, unobstructed setting provided excellent solar exposure, making solar lighting a natural solution.
Solar sidestepped the infrastructure issue. Each system generates and stores its own power, eliminating the need for trenching, wiring, or grid connections. But avoiding electrical infrastructure was only part of the challenge. The lighting still had to meet rigorous IES and AASHTO criteria adopted by NMDOT and Bernalillo County—and maintain those light levels from dusk to dawn.
Achieving that performance required the right combination of fixture efficiency, solar generation, and storage. Sol and Acuity collaborated on a 119-system solution, pairing EverGen-M solar engines with cobrahead-style Autobahn fixtures. Each system was configured with two panels and three batteries based on the County’s required light levels and runtime, delivering bright, uniform illumination with four nights of autonomy.
The lights were installed in January 2026, completing the final phase of the project. For those who rely on the road for work and everyday travel, the difference was immediate: drivers now have a clearer view of the road ahead and potential hazards around them.
The project also builds on Sol and Acuity’s earlier work in Albuquerque, including a pedestrian lighting installation along Central Avenue. Together, the two projects demonstrate how solar can serve very different lighting needs in a state where abundant sun and limited grid access make it a practical, scalable option.
