A sustainable and bright future that cities can reach today is intelligent street lighting. Many towns in Europe and other parts of the world have already adopted smart street lighting and are reaping the benefits. Many cities, though, have yet to make an investment in smart street lights or haven’t even considered it. If you reside in one of such cities, take into account the following advantages of smart street lighting:
Energy bill savings
Most localities don’t require fully lit streets, especially in the late evening and night. Completely turning out the lights, however, is not a good idea because it could endanger public safety and make people feel insecure. Intelligent street lighting make it feasible to meet the needs of drivers while reducing energy loss by up to 80%. To save a lot of energy, smart street lights can be dimmed automatically using a variety of methods, including pre-set schedules, AstroClock, ambient light sensors, and motion sensors.
Maintenance Planning
Traditional street lights can be exceedingly expensive to maintain. Without knowing where the street light failed and for what cause, the truck would have to roll, adding to the expense. Inactive street lights undermine traffic safety and could lead to complaints from the public, which could be bad for the neighborhood municipality.
The lighting manager receives proactive alerts/notifications for problems, alarms, and outages with smart street lighting. This enables the operator to solve the issue effectively and swiftly. The end result is a modern lighting system, no complaints from the general public, maintenance costs that are up to 50% reduced, and of course, a better image.
Control of all infrastructure
The municipality or the lighting operator are genuinely unaware of what is happening with their conventional, unconnected street lights. They are unable to even manage how bright the street lights are, how much power they use, which street lights have failed, and for what reasons (as they are being non-connected). The operator or municipality has total control over intelligent street lighting, also known as network-connected street lighting. Remotely, they can:
- Observe and control street lighting
- Adapt lighting levels to needs
- Track issues from their office and respond to them right away.
- Provide useful information about each street light, such as its energy usage and potential savings.
Smart City Foundation
It’s true that “Smart City begins with Smart Street Lights.” The only thing that traditional street lights do is emit pure light. On the other side, intelligent street lighting creates new possibilities. Cities may easily implement critical IoT and Smart City applications to improve the quality of life for inhabitants by investing in smart street lights (specifically, those based on Open Standard and Open API). With an open intelligent street lighting system, everything from security systems to traffic lights, public kiosks, Wi-Fi hotspots, smart parking, EV charging, drone charging, and more can connect to and work together.
Decreased light pollution
It is not required for traditional street lights to be on continuously throughout the night. Nearly nobody leaves their homes after dark. It makes logical to lower the light’s intensity. In addition to reducing energy use, it also reduces light pollution. Although it is frequently disregarded, light pollution harms both people and nocturnal wildlife. It may interfere with the circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle. Additional effects of light pollution include:
- Humans may have more headaches, weariness, stress, anxiety, and hypertension, which might aggravate cardiovascular disease.
- Animal migration and navigation may be complicated, predator-prey relationships may change, and psychological suffering may result.
- The night sky is going away.
Dimming street lights, one of the main sources of light pollution, is the best solution. Additionally, a motion sensor-equipped intelligent street lighting system made up of outdoor light controls is required to lower street lights.
Enhancing Public Safety
For an urban setting to feel cozy and welcoming, pathways and streets must be well-lit. The price of this illumination, though, shouldn’t be prohibitive. The option of dimming exists, but what about the safety and comfort of the few available road users?
Public safety is increased by “the right light at the right location at the right time” made possible by smart street lighting!
Motion-activated intelligent street lighting is ideal for striking a balance between energy efficiency and public safety. It produces a safe circle of light or follow light in addition to providing on-demand or adaptive illumination. When no one is present, the streets can remain softly illuminated thanks to this motion sensor street lighting system. However, the street light will brighten to its full intensity and send a signal to nearby street lights to brighten up when the sensor senses human presence. The road user literally feels safer and more comfortable as a result of this sudden occurrence.
Dealing with climate change
A significant source of greenhouse gases and air pollution, fossil fuels are used to produce the majority of the electricity used to power street lights. When roads are deserted at night and these street lights are left on, it is a significant energy loss. Smart street lighting combats climate change! On a need-basis, smart street lights help adjust or reduce lighting settings. This significantly lowers electricity consumption and ultimately carbon emissions.
Defend the flora and fauna.
Entire living things are harmed by light pollution, which is caused by street lights that stay on all night at full brightness. For biodiversity, intelligent street lighting is advantageous! It is not a good idea to turn off street lights, thus the best choice is to use intelligent lighting. Autonomous dimming during off-peak hours is made possible by an intelligent street lighting system, which reduces light pollution and benefits the local flora and animals.
Benefits from the starting day
Investing in smart street lighting yields returns from day one, unlike other smart city solutions. The following advantages are instantly realized by cities that implement smart lighting:
- Total command over public lights
- Energy bill savings
- Lower costs for maintenance
- Reduced light pollution
- Better illumination centered on the needs of the public
- Strong foundation for applications in smart cities and IoT
- safeguarding the native flora and wildlife
- Possibility of achieving their climate goals
Intelligent Street Lighting for Better Savings and Opportunities
According to Intel’s Solution Brief, smart street lights provide more than just improved illumination; they also serve as a platform for Smart City applications, aid in cost reduction, and open up new revenue streams.
Intelligent street lighting transforms how cities are managed by municipalities and offers great energy savings. In many places, public illumination can make up as much as 40% of total electricity costs. Additionally, as more and more people move into metropolitan areas over the next 20 years, it is predicted that energy consumption would increase by 50%.
Municipalities can reduce their energy use by up to 50% by switching from halogen to LED. Smart street light controllers can save an additional 20 to 30 percent of energy by adjusting luminaire brightness in accordance with predefined schedules, calendar events, and ambient light levels. Municipalities that choose motion sensor smart street lights, which turn on and off based on movement, can save up to 80% more energy overall.
Cities can receive improved capabilities and functionality in addition to financial savings. Cities and utility companies may add a range of IoT and Smart City sensors easily and affordably by utilizing the existing street lighting poles. Intelligent street lighting can be used to keep an eye on neighborhood activity, weather, traffic, and parking availability. Such street lights can be fitted with automatic license plate scanners for street-level surveillance or with acoustic sensors to detect gunshots and notify the authorities.
Municipalities are able to increase citizen happiness while reducing costs and improving operational efficiency. By using intelligent street lighting, municipalities can potentially generate new revenue prospects. For instance, renting poles for EV charging or other services like digital signs.
The future of public illumination is intelligent street lighting. Globally, numerous cities have already embraced smart lighting and are enjoying the advantages it offers. Would you wish to make your city more efficient, intelligent, and safe? Message us. We specialize in intelligent street lighting. More than 800 municipalities and cities depend on our smart street lighting technology.
